We're seeing record travel leading up to Thanksgiving weekend; however, the return trip at the end of the weekend into next week is expected to be just as busy.
Eisenhower National Airport Marketing Manager Valerie Wise advises travelers to get to the airport early.
The TSA says it could be screening up to three million flyers nationwide on Sunday.
AAA and its forecast partner INRIX say the worst times to drive for Thanksgiving are the Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving. For travelers returning home, Sunday afternoon and most of the day on Monday will be particularly crowded on the highways. On Thanksgiving Day itself on Thursday, the roads will be the least congested.
AAA projects a record of more than 71 million people who will travel by car, and nearly six million people who will fly domestically. Gasoline prices are lower this year than last.
Kansas’ average gas price is currently $2.70 a gallon -- that's 24 cents (8%) lower than a year ago, and fifth-lowest in the nation. The state with the least expensive gasoline is Oklahoma, at $2.51 per gallon.
With nicknames like “Blackout Wednesday” and “Drinksgiving,” the night before Thanksgiving has developed a reputation for heavy alcohol consumption and binge drinking.
In Kansas in 2022, 100 drivers were involved in fatal traffic crashes on Thanksgiving Eve alone— and 35% of those drivers were drunk, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). From 2018-2022, there were 833 people killed nationwide in drunk-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday.
In Kansas, from 2019-2023 during the Thanksgiving-holiday period, there were yearly averages of nearly 700 crashes, resulting in 887 injuries and more than four deaths. During that five-year period, there were a total of 135 alcohol-related Thanksgiving crashes, with three people killed and 66 injured.