Neither a pandemic, inflation, nor gas prices will keep Arkansans and other Americans from going on their appointed rounds over the Thanksgiving holiday.
AAA reports the uniquely American holiday will see a record rise in travel despite the numbers of covid-19 cases growing once again, the prospect of sitting down to the most expensive turkey dinner ever and getting indigestion at the gas pump.
The nonprofit association of motor clubs and travel services organizations predicted 53.4 million people will travel for Thanksgiving, a 13% jump from the same holiday period in 2020 when the pandemic was in full swing. The total is within 5% of the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019, according to a new release.
"This Thanksgiving, travel will look a lot different than last year," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president for AAA Travel. "Now that the borders are open 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 holiday."
Air travel, in particular, will be up 80% over last year, almost fully recovered from its pandemic-induced collapse last year, according to AAA.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it expects airport security checkpoints nationwide to be busy during the Thanksgiving travel period, which runs from Friday through Nov. 28. The agency expects to screen about 20 million passengers over the holiday.
"We anticipate that travel may be very close to pre-pandemic levels this holiday, and we are staffed and prepared for the holiday travelers," said David Pekoske, the agency's administrator. "We have deployed technologies that enhance detection capabilities and reduce physical contact, and it's equally important that passengers are prepared with travel tips for the most efficient checkpoint experience.
"With overall vaccination rates improving nationwide and greater confidence in healthy travel, there will be more people traveling so plan ahead, remain vigilant and practice kindness."
Typically, the busiest days during the Thanksgiving travel period are the Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving and the Sunday afterward. The highest travel day in TSA's history was the Sunday after Thanksgiving of 2019, before the pandemic, when nearly 2.9 million individuals were screened at TSA security checkpoints nationwide, according to the agency.
Travel volume this year is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, but it is expected to be notably higher in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
That is in line with what is expected to happen at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field in Little rock.
The state's largest airport expects to screen 51,391 passengers during the holiday period, which began Thursday and runs through Nov. 30, according to the TSA.
"While we do not have TSA data for those dates for last year to provide a comparison, we can report that passenger traffic for November 2021 was down 53% from November 2019," said Shane Carter, the Clinton National spokesman. "October 2022 has ended at 85% of pre-covid [October 2019] levels and we believe November will be similar."
And a year ago, the airport operated just 25 daily departing flights. The airport now as 35 daily departures, Carter said. Before the pandemic, Clinton National enjoyed 42 departing flights each day.
Air service is still being added, Carter noted.
"Frontier nonstop service to Orlando began yesterday and runs through Jan. 2," he said. "Southwest has resumed seasonal service to Phoenix."
In AAA's West South Central Region, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, 4.7 million people are supposed to travel by vehicle, almost 300,000 by air and 99,000 by other means, such as buses, trains or cruises. The total region volume will top 5.1 million, a 12% jump from last year and within 4% of the region's pre-pandemic totals, according to AAA.
The surge comes despite a surge in the price Americans are paying to fill up their gas tanks.
The surge in holiday travel continues a trend that started early in the year as pandemic restrictions lifted and consumer confidence returned, according to AAA.
The average price of a gallon of gas in the United States reached $3.39 on Nov. 15, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That was 1 cent lower than a week earlier but $1.28 higher than a year earlier. In the Gulf Coast region that includes Arkansas, the price is $3.07, 3 cents lower than the previous week but also $1.28 higher than a year ago.
In addition to higher pump prices, drivers also will face increased law enforcement on Arkansas highways, according to the Arkansas State Police.
Starting today, troopers, local police and sheriff deputies in concert with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be working to enforce state seatbelt laws.
During the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which the state police counts as beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday and concluding at 5:59 a.m. Dec. 2, a total of 279 people died on U.S. roads. Of those, 54% didn't wear a seat belt, according to a news release.
"State troopers and other law enforcement officers too often are left to witness the tragic consequences when someone has chosen to ignore the most basic form of protecting themselves, a seatbelt, as they travel the highway," said Col. Bill Bryant, state police director and the governor's highway safety representative.
The weather is expected to cooperate to a certain extent for travel, with no wintry precipitation forecast, according to the National Weather Service's office in North Little Rock.
A chance of rain is expected on Wednesday and Thursday and lasting into the weekend, said meteorologist Travis Shelton. Highs will be in the 60s in the southern half of Arkansas and mid-50s over the northern half, he said.