NEW YORK — Staffing problems at the airport and weather delayed one of the busiest holiday travel days in the Tri-State area on Tuesday.
Travelers faced slippery conditions as they headed to their vacation destinations, and those scheduled to travel on Thanksgiving Day there will be another rain shower.
Flights at Newark Airport are experiencing delays during the busy Thanksgiving travel week
The Federal Aviation Administration said so Air traffic controller staffing issues caused ground delays at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesdayadding that the company is planning for possible ground stops or delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport until 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The delays come as the Thanksgiving travel season reaches its peak. AAA projects 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holidayan increase of 2% compared to last year and an increase of almost 11% since the pandemic.
The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen a record 18.3 million people over the next seven dayswith Tuesday and Wednesday being the busiest before Thanksgiving.
“More people are going out tomorrow. I’m trying to see if I can leave on Tuesday or even the Monday before, if that’s possible,” said traveler Lucero Manzanares.
“It happened to be one of the cheapest days to fly, unlike Wednesday when I flew last year… It was like, forget it, the lines were extremely long,” said traveler Valerie Snoddy.
Travelers at LaGuardia Airport said they arrived early to be safe.
“We try to do it two hours earlier, just in case security takes a long time,” says traveler Mia Irwin.
The TSA said late Tuesday that the agency expects to have screened about 2.8 million people nationwide, and after Thanksgiving, they expect airports across the country to see the highest number of travelers on Sunday.
Rain is causing heavy traffic for drivers wanting to avoid the Thanksgiving crowds
AAA said more than 70 million people will hit the road this holiday travel week, with Tuesday afternoon expected to be one of the peak travel periods.
According to AAA, the busiest times to travel are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, but even those who tried to get a head start early on Tuesday ran into trouble.
‘I drove up to get it [my daughter]and it took me more than two and a half hours. The traffic was terrible,” said traveler Debora Sciullo.
Mike Small, a Long Island resident, thought he had managed to get out of Long Island.
“I said to myself, ‘You know what, I’m not leaving until ten o’clock because I know the traffic,’ but I didn’t take the rain into account, I didn’t take the holidays into account, and As you can see, it’s about three hours ago and I’m finally in New Jersey,” he said.
“There was a lot of traffic coming off Long Island on Bell Parkway, but now it looks like it’s clear sailing in New Jersey,” Long Island resident Joanne Pedranghelu said.
Traveling by car, AAA says, could be the best choice with lower gas prices this Thanksgiving. A spokesperson says that people mainly travel to warm destinations such as Florida.
“We’re seeing a very strong year overall for the travel industry. Growth may slow, a little towards the end of the year, but for most of the year travel has remained just off the charts,” the spokesperson said. said spokesperson.
AAA said the best time to travel is early Thanksgiving morning. Meanwhile, AAA said drivers returning home on Sunday should leave early in the morning, and those returning Monday can expect a mix of travelers and work commuters.
Zinnia Maldonado
