A lot more Californians are expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday. AAA's latest survey finds that 6.8 million Californians will be hitting the road or flying this week. That's up five percent from last year.
"Most people, about 90 percent, are going to be choosing to drive," says Michael Blasky with AAA of Northern California. "But we are going to see a big bump this year in terms of air travel. That's up almost six percent this year over last year which is even larger than the national increase that we're seeing. So we're definitely going to see a good mix of busy airports and busy roadways this year."
He says more than 770,000 Californians will be flying and most of them booked their flights between September and October paying an average ticket price of $478.00 round trip.
The advice for Thanksgiving travelers flying out of Sacramento International Airport is - expect delays and arrive early.
"We're recommending that passengers arrive at the airport about two hours in advance of flight departure," says Samantha Mott with the Sacramento County Department of Airports. She says lines at ticket counters and security checkpoints will be longer than normal.
But if you get stressed, you can pet a dog or listen to live music.
"We will have pet therapy dogs in the boarding area, they're part of our boarding area relaxation core. We will also have local musicians on hand at baggage claims serenading folks who are coming into Sacramento."
Mott says peak times at the airport will be early mornings, between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. And she says parking areas will fill and close, so keep an eye out for signs directing you to open lots.
People driving can expect to pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in four years with a statewide average of $3.75 - which is 54 cents more than a year ago.
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