The last-minute Thanksgiving travelers are packing their cars and carry-on bags to hit the nation’s highways and airports. Holiday travelers were experiencing few canceled flights early on Wednesday, and the weather could determine whether that good luck holds up. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.9 million people on Wednesday and surpass 3 million people on Sunday. The worst time to leave in Chicago is between 1pm and 7pm today. There is some good news–gas prices at the pump are lower this year compared to last Thanksgiving. The national average could drop below $3 per gallon for the first time since 2021. It’s $3.26 a gallon in Illinois and $3.47 in Cook county.
While canceled flights were thankfully few, there were plenty of delays, which is becoming normal for U.S. airlines. For motorists, Wednesday afternoon is expected to be the worst time to travel by car before Thanksgiving, according to transportation analytics company INRIX. But it will be smooth sailing on highways Thursday. At O’hare and Midway 1.8 million travelers expected to make their way through Chicago’s airports through Monday.
