GRETNA, Nebraska (WOWT) – AAA anticipates that over 119 million people will travel more than 150 miles during the Christmas season.
They estimate air traffic to break a new record, with about 8 million people boarding planes to visit grandmother.
Despite the record number of passengers flying, the majority of individuals will travel to their vacation destination via highway.
More than 107 million people will drive home for the holidays. This is higher from last year’s 104 million travelers.
First Alert 6 spoke with drivers at the I-80 rest station outside of Gretna, who reported little traffic on Christmas Eve.
“It’s been pretty smooth,” traveler Crystal Walker reported. “I started around eight or nine p.m. yesterday night, slept for two hours at a rest stop, and everything has gone smoothly. There is no traffic at all.
“It’s pretty calm, easy-going, and the weather is great, so I can’t complain,” Laura Novotny, who was traveling to Denver, remarked.
Gas prices are one thing that vacation visitors cannot complain about. Many gas stations along the highway charge less than $3 per gallon.
“I just filled up for $44, so it’s better than $3 or $4 a gallon, so $2.70 wasn’t too bad,” said tourist Ryan Sheehy, who was heading to Hastings.
“$2.51 now a gallon, that is cheap compared to what it was last year,” Novotny tweeted.
“Where I’m from, gas is like $3 and something and going up, here it fluctuates from like $2 and something , $3 it depends on where you stop, so yeah, its been doing good,” says Walker. “I’m not going to even lie, I haven’t spent a hundred dollars in gas yet!”
Cheaper gas prices are keeping some people away from airports.
Many people do not want to deal with the inconvenience that comes with flying travel. Walker was heading from Central Illinois to Denver. She informed First Alert 6 that she would rather use the roads than start her vacation on a runway.
“I kind of like driving, I’ve always been like that,” Walker replied. “My father was an over-the-road truck driver, and I dislike flying. To be honest, I’m frightened of planes; I don’t trust anything that’s in the air, you know? I have no control over it. I have control of an automobile, therefore I’m fine.”
AAA recommends that today and tomorrow are the ideal days to go by automobile, but expect traffic on the way home.
They expect significant traffic on the highways from the day after Christmas to the day before New Year’s Eve.