MINNEAPOLIS — Whether you're traveling by plane or by car this weekend, prepare for a busy weekend in the skies and on the roads.
Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, both the Transportation Security Administration and AAA are prepping travelers for a surge of traffic. Here's what you need to know if you're heading out of town to celebrate America's Independence.
At the airport
TSA expects the busiest travel days to be Thursday, June 29 through Wednesday, July 5 when nearly 18 million people could pass through airports across the country. The agency predicts the peak travel day will be Friday, June 30, when more than 2.8 million passengers alone could be screened by TSA.
Unfortunately, travel delays have been ramping up across the country well ahead of the busy weekend. By Friday morning, more than 1,000 U.S. flights had been delayed and more than 250 were canceled, according to FlightAware.
Along with bad weather and huge crowds, an ongoing pilot shortage is contributing to nationwide travel troubles. According to consulting firm Oliver Wyman, North America is about 8,000 pilots short right now. Already this summer, carriers like Southwest and American say they've grounded dozens of planes because they don't have anyone to fly them
Looking for ways to mitigate stress at the airport? If you have an early flight out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Terminal 2, you can take advantage of the new MSP RESERVE system and book your security screening ahead of time.
On the road
AAA predicts this Fourth of July weekend could set holiday travel records on the country's highways and byways. The company expects more than 50 million Americans will hit the road and travel 50 miles or more throughout the Independence Day holiday.
If those numbers hold true, they would surpass the previous July 4th weekend travel record of 49 million travelers set in 2019.
“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” Senior Vice President of AAA Travel Paula Twidale said in a statement. “What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand.”
As of Wednesday, average gas prices in Minnesota hovered around $3.45, slightly below the national average of $3.55. Check here to find ways to save a few bucks when filling up.
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