Data shows Americans couldn’t resist Thanksgiving travel
4 years ago

Data shows Americans couldn’t resist Thanksgiving travel

Associated Press  

— Americans couldn’t resist the urge to gather for Thanksgiving, driving only slightly less than a year ago and largely ignoring the pleas of public health experts, who begged them to forgo holiday travel to help contain the coronavirus pandemic, data from roadways and airports shows. Vehicle travel in early November was as much as 20% lower than a year earlier, but it surged around the holiday and peaked on Thanksgiving Day at only about 5% less than the pandemic-free period in 2019, according to StreetLight Data, which provided an analysis to The Associated Press. “People were less willing to change their behavior than any other day during the pandemic,” said Laura Schewel, founder of StreetLight Data. “This uptick here is really coming at a time when everyone’s exhausted,” said Don Lehman, a spokesman for the Warren County Public Health Department in upstate New York.

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History of this topic

Early Christmas travel plans are threatened by storms, with rain and snow forecast for millions
6 days, 20 hours ago

Early Christmas travel plans are threatened by storms, with rain and snow forecast for millions

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “This year, with Christmas Day falling on a …

More than 3 million travelers screened at US airports in a single day. That’s a record
3 weeks, 1 day ago

More than 3 million travelers screened at US airports in a single day. That’s a record

Associated Press  

Travelers heading home after the Thanksgiving holiday set a record on Sunday, as airport officers screened more than 3 million people. The Transportation Security Administration said Monday that it handled 3.09 million travelers on Sunday, breaking the previous record by about 74,000. Traffic at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport came to a standstill Sunday evening, with the airport using social media …

Severe weather threatens Thanksgiving travel for millions as officials warn of delays
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Severe weather threatens Thanksgiving travel for millions as officials warn of delays

NPR  

Severe weather threatens Thanksgiving travel for millions as officials warn of delays toggle caption Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images Millions of travelers hitting the roads or heading for the airport may face delays due to long lines and severe weather that threatens to disrupt holiday travel over the next few days. On top of crowded roads and terminals that could prolong travel …

Holiday crowds at airports and on highways are expected to be even bigger than last year
1 year ago

Holiday crowds at airports and on highways are expected to be even bigger than last year

Associated Press  

More Americans are expected to fly or drive far from home over Christmas than did last year, putting a cap on a busy year for travel. Auto club AAA forecast Monday that 115.2 million people will go 50 miles or more from home during the 10 days between Dec. 23 and New Year’s Day. “People are willing to adjust their …

A Thanksgiving tradition returns: hectic travel in the US
1 year, 1 month ago

A Thanksgiving tradition returns: hectic travel in the US

Live Mint  

Millions of Americans headed to the homes of friends and family on Wednesday, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, on the busiest travel day since the pandemic, undeterred by a sprawling East Coast storm system that disrupted some flights and slowed traffic. On Tuesday, 2.6 million passengers were screened at airport security checkpoints, the highest ever for Tuesday before Thanksgiving, …

Record Thanksgiving travel rush off to a smooth start despite snowy forecast
1 year, 1 month ago

Record Thanksgiving travel rush off to a smooth start despite snowy forecast

Associated Press  

The late crush of holiday travelers picked up steam Wednesday, with about 2.7 million people expected to board flights and millions more planning to drive or take the train to Thanksgiving celebrations. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened more than 2.6 million passengers Tuesday and it expected another 2.7 million passengers to come through airport security on Wednesday. U.S. …

Thanksgiving Travel Tips: Best and worst days and time to hit the road as per AAA survey
1 year, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving Travel Tips: Best and worst days and time to hit the road as per AAA survey

Hindustan Times  

Thanksgiving is the destination, but the journey is filled with hurdles of planning feasts, trips and timings of travel. This year's Thanksgiving day travel has increased by 2.3% to last year and is expected to be the third-busiest Thanksgiving since AAA began tracking the holiday travel in 2000. Thanksgiving Travel Tips The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, November 22, 2023, is expected …

Thanksgiving travel will be at record-breaking levels: 9 common-sense tips can keep you sane
1 year, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving travel will be at record-breaking levels: 9 common-sense tips can keep you sane

LA Times  

Travelers make their way at Terminal 7 at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. “People are just more confident to get out there and travel again since the pandemic,” said Doug Shupe, corporate communications manager for the Automobile Club of Southern California, the local AAA affiliate. “We are actually going to be over 2019 numbers.” Shupe said AAA projects an …

Thanksgiving travel rush is back with some new habits
2 years, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving travel rush is back with some new habits

Associated Press  

The Thanksgiving travel rush was back on this year, as people caught planes in numbers not seen in years, setting aside inflation concerns to reunite with loved ones and enjoy some normalcy after two holiday seasons marked by COVID-19 restrictions. “But after a couple years of not getting to spend Thanksgiving with our extended family, I’d say we’re feeling thankful …

Thanksgiving getaway starts with 49 million people hitting the roads, 4.5 million at airports
2 years, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving getaway starts with 49 million people hitting the roads, 4.5 million at airports

Daily Mail  

This year, more than 55 million people will be traveling home for Thanksgiving via planes, trains and automobiles in what is estimated to be the third-busiest travel period on record. QUEENS, NY: One way traffic on the Belt Parkway in Queens on November 23 as people travel for Thanksgiving on what is expected to be the busiest day on the …

Thanksgiving week travel expected to be almost as busy as pre-pandemic levels
2 years, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving week travel expected to be almost as busy as pre-pandemic levels

LA Times  

Motor traffic crawls in both directions on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The TSA has already seen more people traveling this year during holiday weekends than in recent years, when the COVID-19 pandemic had health officials recommending people forgo nonessential travel. TSA officials said that the number of travelers this year …

Thanksgiving travel rush is back with some new habits
2 years, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving travel rush is back with some new habits

Associated Press  

The Thanksgiving travel rush was back on this year, as people caught planes in numbers not seen in years, setting aside inflation concerns to reunite with loved ones and enjoy some normalcy after two holiday seasons marked by COVID-19 restrictions. “But after a couple years of not getting to spend Thanksgiving with our extended family, I’d say we’re feeling thankful …

The big Thanksgiving air travel wild card
2 years, 1 month ago

The big Thanksgiving air travel wild card

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. CNN — Flight chaos over the summer has air travelers on edge as Americans head into what’s expected to be the busiest holiday travel season since 2019. “They’ve adjusted their schedules, they’ve been on hiring binges, on putting people in the right places that we hope will be …

Holiday getaway pushes US airport traffic to pandemic high
2 years, 5 months ago

Holiday getaway pushes US airport traffic to pandemic high

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. About 2.49 million passengers went through security checkpoints at …

Omicron complicates holiday travel plans across the US
3 years ago

Omicron complicates holiday travel plans across the US

Al Jazeera  

Long lines for testing and fears of the new coronavirus variant have undermined holiday travel plans for a second year. Americans are facing a second Christmas of upended holiday plans, with a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the now-dominant Omicron variant forcing some people to cancel their travel and fret about whether it is safe to visit loved ones. …

On the road again: Travelers emerge in time for Thanksgiving
3 years, 1 month ago

On the road again: Travelers emerge in time for Thanksgiving

Associated Press  

DALLAS — Determined to reclaim Thanksgiving traditions that were put on pause last year by the pandemic, millions of Americans will be loading up their cars or piling onto planes to gather again with friends and family. The number of air travelers this week is expected to approach or even exceed pre-pandemic levels, and auto club AAA predicts that 48.3 …

Covid-19 cases are on the rise with Thanksgiving just a day away
3 years, 1 month ago

Covid-19 cases are on the rise with Thanksgiving just a day away

CNN  

CNN — Thanksgiving this year will be much different than last year, but far from risk-free, as Covid-19 cases continue to rise across the country and millions of Americans remain unvaccinated. The latest uptick in cases is “not unexpected,” as people spend more time inside during the cold-weather season and as immunity wanes, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National …

Tips for safe Thanksgiving air travel
3 years, 1 month ago

Tips for safe Thanksgiving air travel

LA Times  

Travel during the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be near pre-pandemic levels, but public health officials are still urging people to take COVID-19 precautions. The number of travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be near pre-pandemic levels, but public health officials are urging people to take precautions as the risk of coronavirus transmission is still a possibility — …

Thanksgiving air travel to rebound to 2019 levels, TSA says
3 years, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving air travel to rebound to 2019 levels, TSA says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The number of airline passengers …

US sets pandemic-era high for air travel, over 1.6 million
3 years, 7 months ago

US sets pandemic-era high for air travel, over 1.6 million

Associated Press  

The United States set another record for the number of air travelers since the pandemic set in, although passenger numbers remain far below 2019 levels. That was the highest number screened since March 12 of last year when air travel began to plummet. Nearly 50 U.S. and U.K. travel-industry groups urged President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson …

Smartphone Data: Many Americans Ignored Thanksgiving Travel Warnings From The CDC
4 years ago

Smartphone Data: Many Americans Ignored Thanksgiving Travel Warnings From The CDC

NPR  

Smartphone Data: Many Americans Ignored Thanksgiving Travel Warnings From The CDC More Americans stayed home for Thanksgiving this year compared with last year — but by relatively small margins. An NPR analysis of mobile phone location data showed that 42% of Americans with smartphones remained home, up from 36% last year. NPR analyzed the anonymized data to determine the percentage …

Americans face new COVID-19 restrictions after Thanksgiving
4 years ago

Americans face new COVID-19 restrictions after Thanksgiving

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Americans returning home from Thanksgiving …

So You Traveled Over Thanksgiving. Now What?
4 years ago

So You Traveled Over Thanksgiving. Now What?

NPR  

So You Traveled Over Thanksgiving. "You have to assume you were exposed and you became infected" Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House's coronavirus task force, has this advice: Assume you picked up the virus. "If you're young and you gathered," Birx says, "you need to assume that you're infected and not go near your grandparents and aunts …

Empty seats, delivered feasts as virus changes Thanksgiving
4 years ago

Empty seats, delivered feasts as virus changes Thanksgiving

Associated Press  

Vivian Zayas can’t keep herself from scrolling through photos of last Thanksgiving, when her mother stood at the stove to make a big pot of rice and beans and then took a seat at the edge of the table. “It’s a lonely time.” The family is left with “an empty chair at the table forever,” another daughter, Alexa Rivera, said …

Thanksgiving could be a coronavirus disaster for the US as Americans pack airports and seek a comforting family tradition
4 years ago

Thanksgiving could be a coronavirus disaster for the US as Americans pack airports and seek a comforting family tradition

ABC  

No matter what metric you use to measure it, the US is being swallowed by another wave, comparable in size and shape to the initial COVID-19 tsunami that caught the country off-guard. The holiday will be one of the country's biggest tests yet After nine months of pandemic life, we've been conditioned to making difficult decisions about when to compromise …

Americans risk traveling over Thanksgiving despite warnings
4 years ago

Americans risk traveling over Thanksgiving despite warnings

Associated Press  

Millions of Americans took to the skies and the highways ahead of Thanksgiving at the risk of pouring gasoline on the coronavirus fire, disregarding increasingly dire warnings that they stay home and limit their holiday gatherings to members of their own household. “I think with the holidays and everything, it’s so important right now, especially because people are so bummed …

Top Trump Health Official Issues Stark COVID-19 Warning For Thanksgiving
4 years ago

Top Trump Health Official Issues Stark COVID-19 Warning For Thanksgiving

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Adm. Brett Giroir, the Trump administration’s COVID-19 testing czar, implored Americans on Wednesday to follow coronavirus safety guidance over the Thanksgiving holiday — warning that the nation is at “a critical and very dangerous part of this pandemic.” The Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary and member of the White House coronavirus task force told …

Americans celebrate scaled-back Thanksgiving as COVID-19 surges
4 years ago

Americans celebrate scaled-back Thanksgiving as COVID-19 surges

Al Jazeera  

Normally a day to feast with family, Thanksgiving has been upended by the coronavirus, with cases and deaths surging. Americans awoke on Thursday to celebrate a Thanksgiving Day transformed by the coronavirus pandemic, with the Macy’s parade limited to a television-only event and many families resigned to meeting on video for turkey dinner. Thanksgiving, normally a day for family and …

Opinion: You shouldn’t gather this Thanksgiving. But if you do, there are ways to minimize your Covid risk
4 years, 1 month ago

Opinion: You shouldn’t gather this Thanksgiving. But if you do, there are ways to minimize your Covid risk

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Erin Bromage is an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. They are clearly frustrated – but they are mistaken: The reality is that exhausted health care workers, public health officials and public administrators are at wits’ end as they call for personal action to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the absence of federal …

VIRUS TODAY: 3rd vaccine shows promise, death toll soars
4 years, 1 month ago

VIRUS TODAY: 3rd vaccine shows promise, death toll soars

Associated Press  

Here’s what’s happening on Monday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S: THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY —Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals. AstraZeneca is …

US hits 12 million Covid-19 cases as many defy Thanksgiving travel guidance
4 years, 1 month ago

US hits 12 million Covid-19 cases as many defy Thanksgiving travel guidance

India Today  

The United States recorded its 12th million COVID-19 case on Saturday, even as millions of Americans were expected to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, ignoring warnings from health officials about furthering the spread of the infectious disease. Reuters data shows the pace of new U.S. infections has quickened, with nearly one million more cases recorded in just the last …

Some governors ignore CDC advice on Thanksgiving gatherings
4 years, 1 month ago

Some governors ignore CDC advice on Thanksgiving gatherings

Associated Press  

Coronavirus infections are ravaging South Dakota, where more than half of tests have come back positive for weeks. We know that three to four weeks from Thanksgiving, we will see an exacerbation of the outbreaks,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who called the governors’ reluctance to impose restrictions or encourage people to stay …

US surpasses 12 million COVID-19 cases ahead of holiday
4 years, 1 month ago

US surpasses 12 million COVID-19 cases ahead of holiday

Al Jazeera  

Over one million people were screened at airports across the US on Friday despite advice not to travel for Thanksgiving. The United States has registered more than 12 million cases of COVID-19, as public health experts continue to caution people to heed a warning not to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein tweeted that …

CDC pleads with Americans to avoid Thanksgiving travel
4 years, 1 month ago

CDC pleads with Americans to avoid Thanksgiving travel

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the imposition of an overnight curfew on most residents as the most populous state tries to head …

US health agency urges Americans to stay home for Thanksgiving
4 years, 1 month ago

US health agency urges Americans to stay home for Thanksgiving

Al Jazeera  

The CDC says travelling may increase the spread of COVID-19 amid an uptick in infections across the United States. The top public health agency in the United States has recommended that US citizens do not travel during next week’s Thanksgiving holiday to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus as cases of COVID-19 spike around the country. “Postponing travel and staying …

Don't Travel For Thanksgiving, CDC Warns
4 years, 1 month ago

Don't Travel For Thanksgiving, CDC Warns

NPR  

Don't Travel For Thanksgiving, CDC Warns Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is strongly recommending that people stay home for Thanksgiving to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19," the CDC explained in an …

A Doctor's Thanksgiving Plea: Stay Home And Stay Safe
4 years, 1 month ago

A Doctor's Thanksgiving Plea: Stay Home And Stay Safe

NPR  

A Doctor's Thanksgiving Plea: Stay Home And Stay Safe Enlarge this image Ada daSilva/Getty Images Ada daSilva/Getty Images Thanksgiving in my childhood home is more of a sport than a meal. Traveling from one hot spot to another, eating with multigenerational family and friends in close proximity, indoors, for hours could become a national superspreader event, with catastrophic consequences. We …

Nurses, hospitals and doctor groups urge public in open letter to ‘celebrate responsibly’ during the holidays to stop Covid-19
4 years, 1 month ago

Nurses, hospitals and doctor groups urge public in open letter to ‘celebrate responsibly’ during the holidays to stop Covid-19

CNN  

CNN — As Covid-19 cases rise across the country, leading U.S. medical and health organizations called on the American public to celebrate safely this holiday season. The American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, and the American Nurses Association issued an open letter Thursday urging Americans to scale back on traditional gatherings to stop the spread of Covid-19. “With Thanksgiving and …

Thanksgiving Day Dilemma: Should You Travel Or Stay Home?
4 years, 1 month ago

Thanksgiving Day Dilemma: Should You Travel Or Stay Home?

NPR  

Thanksgiving Day Dilemma: Should You Travel Or Stay Home? "We've been back and forth for about a month, deciding whether it's really doable," Nissen says. "We haven't seen any of his family for a long time," says Nissen, adding that her daughter started high school this fall remotely and really wants to see family. "It's this balance, isn't it, of …

How should Thanksgiving be celebrated during the pandemic? Officials urge staying home
4 years, 1 month ago

How should Thanksgiving be celebrated during the pandemic? Officials urge staying home

LA Times  

How should Thanksgiving be celebrated in the middle of the worst global pandemic in a century? “This much of an increase in cases may very well result in tremendous suffering and tragic deaths down the road,” said Barbara Ferrer, the Los Angeles County director of public health. “We’re actually recommending this Thanksgiving be a stay-at-home Thanksgiving.” Ferrer said she won’t …

Is it safe to travel for the holidays this year?
4 years, 2 months ago

Is it safe to travel for the holidays this year?

CNN  

CNN — The end of the year is fast approaching, and people are weighing travel plans to join friends and family for the holidays against the backdrop of a surge of the Covid-19 pandemic. “If you do choose to travel, try to keep gatherings small and take precautions,” such as wearing a mask and practicing social distancing and good hand …

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