Heavy traveling takes a holiday
CUTTING BACK | Traffic at airports way down as consumers, squeezed by economy, stay home for Thanksgiving
The tattoo on Ezelle Miller's neck pretty much says it all: "Family Ties."
Which explained why the 35-year-old woman endured a two-hour delay and the dreadful singing of a woman sitting beside her on a bus so she could be home with her family for Thanksgiving.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)
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Holiday travelers
"It is the worst day to travel," said Miller, as she waited in Chicago Wednesday afternoon for a Greyhound bus, completing the final leg of her journey from Milwaukee, Wis., to Markham.
It might have been quicker to catch a cab from the West Harrison Greyhound bus terminal, but it was simply too pricey for Miller, a disabled U.S. Navy veteran.
Still, many Americans aren't traveling. Thousands are opting to stay home instead of embarking on costly voyages. Airport terminals were eerily empty Wednesday, devoid of the typical chaos on the day before the holiday. It was the same on the roads, where traffic breezed along despite plummeting gas prices.
Nationally, the Automobile Association of America said 41 million Americans were expected to travel more than 50 miles for the holiday, down about 1.5 percent or 600,000 people from last Thanksgiving. Of those, about 4.5 million were expected to fly, down about 7 percent from last year, while around 33.2 million were expected to drive, a decrease of about 1 percent.
It was set to be the first decrease in holiday travel nationally since 2002, and the largest since the Thanksgiving of 2001.
"This is a reflection of the economy, and while gas prices have come down so significantly, people are paying more for everything else," said Beth Mosher, spokeswoman for AAA Chicago.
There were no substantial delays at airports. Travelers were surprised to find themselves moving more quickly than on a typical weekend.
"It's so quiet, Jen Lawless said in a hushed voice, as she arrived at O'Hare Airport with her husband for a trip to North Carolina.
Contributing: AP