Travel volume expected to be highest in 12 years



Travel volume this Thanksgiving week is expected to be the highest in more than a decade, according to AAA.

Only about 9% of the 50.9 million American’s expected to travel 50 or more miles this week will be flying.

People flying out of SeaTac on Sunday say choosing to fly on a non-popular travel day equals savings.

"We finished packing cleaning, and then we were on the road,” said Brandy Soubannarath who is traveling with her husband and three-month-old daughter from Oak Harbor to Atlanta, Georgia to spend Thanksgiving with family.

“It’s like eight-hour flight total, we’re flying to Baltimore first then down to Georgia,” said Alex Soubannarath.

The Sexton family says they saved by flying out on Sunday.

“We’re from Bothel and we’re going to Phoenix,” said Scott Sexton.

AAA says flights are the cheapest they’ve been since 2013.

"It’s cheaper to fly today than to fly the day before Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving,” said Sexton.

"Minimum 300 dollars. It’s cheaper to fly out early and get a hotel,” said Victoria Sexton.

AAA says roads will be busy this holiday week, the majority of travelers 89% will travel by car.

“Typically we see congestion Wednesday, and Saturday and Sunday as everyone is trying to go back to where they came from. Those are the busiest day and it also depends on which corridor you’re traveling,” said Lisa Van Cise with WSDOT.

Interstate 405 South and 167 is expected to be one of the most congested spots in the country.

AAA ranked Seattle as one of the top visit destinations for Thanksgiving as well as one of the top 10 worst cities for traffic congestion this week.

WSDOT says leave early morning or late at night at the non-peak hours.

Expect double the commute times Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

With the Apple Cup in Seattle at Husky Stadium on Saturday holiday travel doesn’t end after Thanksgiving, it will go into the weekend as people stay or come into town for the game.

WSDOT says pass traffic will also be impacted by Apple Cup travelers.

"The thing about taking the passes is you really don’t know what you’re getting into, the snow could be really heavy on u-s and not so much on I-90 so you have to be prepared,” said Nicole Daniels with WSDOT. The agency also has travel charts on their website listing peak travel times around Washington.