Palm Beach International Airport bustling ahead of Thanksgiving holiday

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s one of the busiest travel weeks of the year and airports across the country are navigating all the extra traffic as people take off for the Thanksgiving holiday.

AAA forecasts a strong rebound in holiday travelers this Thanksgiving.

The Auto Club Group predicts 53.4 million Americans will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, up 13% from 2020.

The gap is closing even faster in Florida, as total travel figures are only 2% below pre-pandemic levels.

AAA predicts nearly 2.9 million Floridians will travel for Thanksgiving, a 13% rebound from the total number of travelers during the 2020 holiday.

“It’s beginning to look more like a normal holiday travel season, compared to what we saw last year,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Now that U.S. borders are open, vaccinations are readily available, and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans who are ready to reunite with their loved ones for the holidays.”

At Palm Beach International Airport, Courtney Spencer and her daughter Cadence we’re greeted by family and warmer weather after traveling south from Atlanta.

“We have a big, big family and they’re all in Wellington and Lake Worth,” said Spencer. “We’re just going to be eating and enjoying and having a good time.”

According to AAA, with 6.4 million more Americans traveling this Thanksgiving (321,000 more Floridians), people should prepare for the roads and airports to be noticeably more crowded than last year’s holiday.

AAA predicts road travel to increase, however, the agency reports the most notable improvement to this year’s holiday is domestic air travel, which has almost completely recovered from its dramatic drop-off during the pandemic and is up 80% from last year.