Travelers faced large crowds and flight delays on Friday, the busiest day of the Memorial Day weekend.
By midafternoon, more than 4,000 U.S. flights were delayed on the East Coast, continuing the trend of testing travelers’ patience. Fortunately, the number of canceled flights remained relatively low — fewer than 100, according to FlightAware tracking data.
Delays were also reported on the highways.
Wallis Tinnie experienced traffic delays due to a traffic accident and road work on Florida’s Turnpike while driving to an African American history commemoration in the Florida Panhandle, the site of the first battle of the Seminole Wars in 1816.
“But we’re prepared for it,” said Wallis Tinnie from Miami, during a stop in Port Saint Lucie. “We left early, and our event is tomorrow. So hopefully — God willing, creek don’t rise — we’ll be there in plenty of time.”
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) anticipated that Friday would be the busiest day for air travel during the holiday weekend, with nearly 3 million people expected to go through airport checkpoints. TSA screened just under 2.9 million people on Thursday, coming close to breaking last year’s record set on the Sunday after Thanksgiving by about 11,000.
“Airports are going to be more crowded than we have seen in 20 years,” said AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz.
Highways are also expected to be congested as motorists travel out of town and back home. AAA predicted that this would be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly two decades, with 43.8 million people traveling at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday — 38 million of them by vehicle.
The annual beginning of the summer travel season coincides with Americans expressing concerns about the economy and the country’s direction, according to polls about their worries.
“Memorial Day is a holiday weekend. I get to spend time with family and friends, so I’d say that’s priceless, right?” Nene Efebo commented during a two-hour wait for a delayed flight at Denver International Airport. “Anything to hang out with family and friends.”
Victoria Ramos Valdes from Miami was on a road trip with her husband, Blake, and their children, ages 3 and 4 months.
“We decided to go for a $300 budget, and the hotel costs around $150,” she explained, highlighting the water slide at the hotel for entertainment. “We’re enjoying a nice family trip and making the most of our Memorial Day weekend.”
Some travelers mentioned feeling surprised by the prices when booking their trips. Upon arrival at Philadelphia International Airport, Ciarra Marsh mentioned that the city “wasn’t our original destination, but we chose it because it was cheaper.”
Larisa Latimer from New Lenox, Illinois, shared that her airfare was reasonable, but other expenses for a trip to New Orleans were not.
“I just have to adjust,” she said. “The rental car costs have increased … this year, the hotel accommodations were unusually expensive.”
Kathy Larko from Fort Myers, Florida, used frequent-flyer miles — along with some flexibility in scheduling — to pay for her trip to Chicago.
“I’m very mindful of analyzing the overall cost of the trip. We’re staying a bit further out to get a lower hotel rate,” she said. “We also decided to fly back a day later to save on miles.”
The weekend’s highway traffic and busy airports may give a preview of what to expect for the next few weeks. U.S. airlines anticipate carrying a record number of passengers this summer. Their trade group estimates that 271 million travelers will fly between June 1 and August 31, surpassing last summer’s record of 255 million.
This story was previously updated to correct the spelling of Fort Myers, Florida.
Cody Jackson in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Melissa Perez Winder in Chicago, and Shelley Adler in Washington contributed to this report.
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