NASHVILLE, TN (WTVF) — This Thanksgiving AAA estimates that more than 50,000 Tennesseans will take to the air, and even more to the road to visit family and loved ones for the holiday.
We are expecting our airports to be a little bit more crowded than usual so you'll want to give yourself more time if you're flying.
Hopefully if you're flying you already have your ticket booked, but in the future when you're planning a trip AAA spokesperson Megan Cooper says earlier flights like these have less issues like delays.
If you're flying take into account that things are all going to be more crowded than normal with longer lines. So give yourself more time.
There will also be lots of families traveling, many with small kids who aren't as familiar with navigating the airport.
You'll also want to stay up to date on your flight, so download the airline app and get the notifications. You don't want to wait until you get here to find out if there has been any kind of delay.
"Planning ahead allows you to have a little bit smoother of a time on your trip. Especially if you're traveling with a family or small kids," Cooper said.
"If things go wrong, you run into delays, things happen. So the more time you give yourself to drive to the airport, to park, to get everything through TSA, it's a lot better experience if you plan ahead."
While they are expecting a record amount of people to fly, AAA says even more people will be driving. Over a million people in Tennessee are expected to take to the road this Thanksgiving.
One of the biggest recommendations from AAA is to leave early.
Cooper said get on the road before 10 a.m. if you can. She says Wednesday will be one of the most crowded days on the road, so try to avoid driving in the afternoon when holiday traffic mixes with commuter traffic.
"For drivers, we highly encourage having your trip planned out ahead of time. Maybe have some alternate routes in case you do run into congestion, roadwork, or any incidents on the roadway. Use your GPS apps, listen to the local news local radio," said Cooper.
She also recommended getting your vehicle looked at before to avoid getting stranded.
AAA is expecting to rescue 570,000 drivers nationwide. Some of the most common service calls are dead batteries, flat tires, and lockouts.
"So even before you leave, just making sure that you can avoid some of those headaches before they even happen. That makes for a smoother trip," said Cooper.
For those celebrations where people will be drinking, AAA says to plan for a sober ride home or to stay where you're at. But if your plans fall through, they are offering their tow-to go service to help remove impaired drivers.
They tow the would-be impaired driver and their vehicle up to 10 miles for free.
It will run starting tonight and go through Monday morning.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Eric.Pointer@newschannel5.com.
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