Travel times expected to spike in some areas for holiday period

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights for the auto club, expects Wednesday to be the busiest day on the roads during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.

INRIX recommends leaving in the morning or after 6 p.m. to avoid the heaviest congestion.

“The day before Thanksgiving is notoriously one of the most congested days on our roadways. Travelers should be prepared for long delays, especially in and around major metros,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.

“Knowing when and where congestion will build can help minimize holiday traffic frustrations. We advise drivers to use traffic apps (and) local DOT notifications … for real-time updates.”

The good news for motorists is that gasoline prices continue to decline.

“As millions of Americans gear up to hit the road for Thanksgiving, the national average is seeing its longest streak of declines in over a year, reaching a ninth straight week as gas prices fall to their lowest since January,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a fuel price-tracking service, said in a blog post Monday.

“GasBuddy now counts over 65,000 stations with a price of $2.99 per gallon or lower, while 11 states are seeing average prices below $3. In addition, we could see five more states join the sub-$3 club by Thanksgiving,” he said.

“The fall in gas prices, largely seasonal due to weakening gasoline demand, could extend for another week or two, leading to potentially the lowest gas prices since 2021 by Christmas,” De Haan said.

The price for regular unleaded was $2.63-$2.64 per gallon at Tulsa-area QuikTrips on Monday, according to GasBuddy.

Meanwhile, the number of people flying to and from Tulsa International Airport is expected to be up.

“It’s been up since last Friday,” said Andrew Pierini, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.

He said Monday that while lines at the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Tulsa International “haven’t been too bad,” travelers still need to give themselves plenty of time.

“TSA is doing great,” he said. “They are fully staffed.”

But Pierini said airport officials recommend that travelers arrive at least two hours early to find parking, check bags and get through security.

“It’s definitely going to be busy,” he said. “We expect it to busy pretty much every day through the Sunday after Thanksgiving, except for Thanksgiving itself, when there are fewer flights and fewer people traveling.”

October enplanements at TUL (outbound passengers) reached 149,876, marking a 4.5% year-over-year increase.

“These traffic numbers are up 11% over October 2019, showing how much demand has grown in the region since even before the start of the pandemic,” a Tulsa International Airport release says.

The traffic is the highest enplanement count in a single month since July 2008.

“The October 2023 figures also represent the highest October enplanement numbers since the year 2000, emphasizing the sustained growth and popularity of Tulsa International Airport as a hub for both domestic and international travelers,” the release says.

AAA estimates that more than 480,000 Oklahomans will be among the 55.4 million Americans who will travel 50 miles or more away from home over the holiday weekend, an increase of 1.1% over the 2022 Oklahoma Thanksgiving travel volume.

Nationally, this year’s Thanksgiving forecast is an increase of 2.3% over last year. That is the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000. The top two years were 2005 and 2019, respectively.

“For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday, we expect more people on the roads, skies, and seas compared to 2022,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “Travel demand has been strong all year, and AAA’s Thanksgiving forecast reflects that continued desire to get away and spend time with loved ones.”

AAA expects that 4.7 million people will fly during the Thanksgiving holiday period, an increase of 6.6% compared to 2022 and the highest number of Thanksgiving air travelers since 2005.

Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are the busiest air travel days ahead of the holiday and the most expensive. While Sunday is typically the busiest day to return home, AAA data show that Monday is also a popular day to fly back after Thanksgiving.

The national average price for a domestic flight is $681, up 5% from 2022; the average price for a domestic hotel stay is $598, down 12% from 2022, AAA said.