NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- New York City will see a record influx of travelers this Thanksgiving holiday, with congestion at the region’s airports and vehicle crossings creating longer wait times and heavy traffic.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expecting 8.7 million people to use its airports, bridges and tunnels from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, making it a record for the Thanksgiving travel period, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
About 3.2 million passengers will travel through Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, New York Stewart International and John F. Kennedy International airports during the eight-day period, an increase of 2% from last year, the Port Authority said. The agency said 5.5 million vehicles will use its bridges and tunnels, about the same as in 2023.
To accommodate the anticipated volume, all non-emergency roadwork at vehicular crossings will be suspended from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to the following Monday.
The agency recommends that passengers flying domestically should arrive at least two hours in advance of their departure and at least three hours early for international flights.
To manage parking demand at the airports, the Port Authority urges travelers to use mass transit and pre-book parking spaces to account for potential construction-related congestion. Those that don’t plan ahead will be charged a parking surcharge and may not be able to find a spot at the airport, according to the statement.
PATH trains that link New York and New Jersey will operate on a modified schedule on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.