CLEVELAND — Living up to its reputation as one of the busiest travel days of the year, Ohioans flooded the freeways and packed the airports Wednesday to make it to their Thanksgiving destinations.
What You Need To Know
- AAA estimates a jump in travel over last Thanksgiving as numbers inch closer to pre-pandemic levels
- The organization said a record number of Ohioans plan to fly this holiday
- AAA predicts 216,000 Ohioans will hop on a plane this holiday, up 9% from last Thanksgiving
- That number, AAA said, also exceeds pre-pandemic levels by nearly 15,000 travelers
The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates a jump in travel over last Thanksgiving as numbers inch closer to pre-pandemic levels.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport was crowded Wednesday, with travelers eager to celebrate Thanksgiving once again with their loved ones in person, rather than over a ZOOM call.
“We’re heading back to Atlanta for Thanksgiving,” said Veronica Myles, as she was getting her boarding ticket printed at the Southwest Airlines kiosk at Hopkins Airport.
Like Myles, Iskandar Mamadalie, a student at Oberlin College, also flew out of Hopkins Airport Wednesday. Mamadalie said he was flying to Iowa to spend the holiday with friends.
“The airports are overcrowded, definitely,” said Mamadalie.
Although most Ohioans this holiday will be traveling by car, AAA said a record number plan to fly. AAA predicts 216,000 Ohioans will hop on a plane this holiday, which is up 9% from last Thanksgiving.
That number, AAA said, also exceeds pre-pandemic levels by nearly 15,000 travelers.
The crowds are something folks said they don’t mind as much, just as long as they make it in time for Thanksgiving dinner and aren’t stuck at the airport due to a flight delay or cancellation.