A Record 8.7 Million Travelers Will Use Port Authority Airports, Bridges, & Tunnels This Thanksgiving
There’s no place like home for the holidays, but if you’re looking to get your hands on a home cooked meal this Thanksgiving you’re going to want to plan ahead–the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is preparing for a record number of travelers this Thanksgiving.
The Port Authority announced in a Holiday Travel Advisory that more than 8.7 million travelers are expected to use its airports and vehicular crossings during the peak Thanksgiving travel period, which begins Monday, November 25th and extends through Monday, December 2nd. And, beyond the influx of travelers, a New York snowstorm is threatening to disrupt upcoming holiday travel even more.
Is Thanksgiving the busiest travel day of the year?
According to Stacey Barber, the vice president of AAA Travel, Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel. This year, records are expected to be broken in all forms of travel–even cruising!
NYC’s Thanksgiving travel 2024 outlook
The Port Authority is estimating approximately 5.5 million vehicles to use its bridges and tunnels over the holiday period, thus they’ll be suspending all non-emergency road work from 5am Wednesday, November 27th through 5am Monday, December 2nd.
A travel advisory warning drivers of potential lane closures or service changes for the remainder of that week will be issued next week, but, in the meantime, be sure to keep these gridlock delay days in mind.
And while vehicular traffic numbers are consistent with volume from the same period in 2023, the amount of travelers taking to the sky is higher–about 3.2 million passengers are expected to travel through JFK, Newark, LaGuardia, and New York Stewart International airports during the eight-day period, a 2% increase from 2023 which was, by the way, the busiest year to date for NYC airports.
If you must fly we suggest at least avoiding booking a flight on Sunday, December 1st, which is expected to be the busiest day of them all at the airports.
To (hopefully) prevent travel stress–or at least potentially bring it down a few notches–the Port Authority is strongly encouraging all travelers to plan ahead and allow for additional travel time as longer airport wait times are inevitable due to higher passenger volume and ongoing construction (especially when JFK already has the third worst security lines in the country during the holiday season).
Domestic fliers should arrive to the airport at least two hours in advance of their departure time while international fliers should arrive at the airport at least three hours in advance of their departure times. And, as always, opting for public transit is encouraged whenever possible.
If you’re one of the millions planning to travel this Thanksgiving, be sure to avoid it on these days to save time and money, wait until this time to book your holiday flights, and try to avoid what have been named the worst airports for holiday travel.
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