Record travel expected this Thanksgiving week

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WBAY) - A busy week for travel starts Monday. More people will be flying to their destinations than ever before.

More than 113,000 people in Wisconsin are expected to travel the friendly skies for Thanksgiving. That surpasses the number that flew in 2019, before the pandemic started.

This Thanksgiving is predicted to be the third-busiest overall in terms of travel since 2001.

“For Wisconsin, there’s a lot more direct flight options out of our airports here. All of the airports in Wisconsin have been adding more direct flights. That makes it a more attractive option for people,” AAA Direct of Public Affairs Nick Jarmusz said.

Airfare prices are about 5% higher than last year but other costs are down.

“A lot of the costs associated with air travel are down, such as hotels and rental cars are both down compared to last year. People have realized a lot of savings in gas prices being lower throughout 2023 than they were in 2022,” Jarmusz said.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be the busiest days for air travel -- and the most expensive.

Sunday and Monday are usually the busiest days as people return home.

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