COLUMBUS, Ohio — Officials expect a record number of Ohio residents to make road trips for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, and airports previewed high expectations for the number of Ohioans who will fly to destinations for the holiday.
What You Need To Know
- More than 2 million residents of Ohio are expected to travel for the Fourth of July
- There could be a record number of road-tripping Independence Day travelers
- Officials said the state's airports are nearing pre-pandemic passenger numbers
Popular destinations are national parks and coastal cities on the East Coast, including Charleston, S.C., Virginia Beach, Va., and Orlando, Fla., said Jenifer Moore, AAA spokesperson.
The holiday is a long-awaited opportunity for many Americans to travel to U.S. cities that have only reopened in the past few weeks.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) officials said it is expecting passenger levels around Independence Day to be at 80% of the pre-pandemic level recorded in 2019.
The busiest travel days will be Thursday and Friday, airport officials said.
“We continue to see leisure travel returning this summer and are hopeful it increases throughout the rest of the year,” said Candace McGraw, the airport’s chief executive officer.
Motorists getting on the road for holiday travel will have to pay higher prices at the pump this year, with gas prices this Fourth of July weekend at the highest level since 2014, Moore said. In Ohio, the average price of gas was $3.04 per gallon, she said.
In Columbus, airport officials said John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) and Rickenbacker Passenger Terminal (LCK) have seen 75% of normal passenger levels so far in June, reporting the busiest day since the pandemic began on June 27, when 12,200 people flew from the two airports.
Columbus Regional Airport Authority spokesperson Sarah McQuaide said officials expect the airports to stay busy leading into the weekend.
Officials said travelers should bring masks for their trips if they plan to travel via planes, train or bus where face coverings are still mandated.
AAA has released recommendations for the best times to travel to avoid some of the traffic this holiday weekend.
By the numbers, the organization projects 2 million total Ohioans will travel — 1.9 million driving and 73,000 flying, which would be 83% of pre-pandemic air travel.
“We saw strong demand for travel around Memorial Day and the kickoff to summer, so all indications really point that Independence Day will follow that trend,” Moore said. “Travel is in full swing this summer.”