BOISE, Idaho- — Thanksgiving is a week away, which means many are preparing to hit the roads and the skies. AAA is projecting Thanksgiving weekend travel rates to exceed pre-pandemic levels.
“With all the stress and difficulty that people go through, this is something that they need and want. They need to get away, and so they are going to find a way to do it,” said Matthew Conde, AAA Spokesperson.
Thanksgiving weekend is predicted to be the 3rd busiest in two decades. Despite airfare costs being up nearly 43% from last year and gas prices again on the rise, millions of Americans are still choosing to travel to be with family and friends for Thanksgiving.
“We anticipate 54.6 million Americans traveling for Thanksgiving. That's right, about 99% of pre-pandemic levels. We are looking at 312,000 Idahoans in that mix,” said Matthew Conde.
Prime time this year is from Wednesday, November 23rd, to Sunday, November 27th. Making that travel period very difficult to get deals or catch a flight.
Jana Lindsay, a local travel agent, has advice for those booking flights last minute.
“If they are not tied to the school schedule, they can leave earlier or come back a little later. One of those two will help them get a great deal,” said Jana Lindsay, Owner of Lindsay Travel Professionals.
And for those planning to leave their car parked at the airport, Boise Airport staff is suggesting you check availability on their live feed parking page before you start driving.
But if you want to speed things up, Boise Airport has implemented CLEAR, which is a faster security checkpoint option. It comes at an extra cost but leads travelers to expedited security pods.
“And if you are a clear member, you can just show up and go through security. No need to worry about it. We provide a predictable seamless experience for our travelers and our members,” said Chris Catanzarite, CLEAR Regional Director.
There's some more exciting news for those of you planning to catch a flight from the Boise Airport, TSA is planning to open up their 7th screening lane just in time for Thanksgiving travelers.
