Droves taking to planes, trains, automobiles

By JOUNICE L. NEALY

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 21, 2000

Although your family has been begging you to bring the homemade peach cobbler for Thanksgiving dinner, it could be quite awkward holding it on your lap. The airlines won't allow it. Train officials don't encourage it. And there may not be enough room on the bus.

And if you're traveling by car, hold on to it tight. Depending on where you're driving, it could be a bumpy ride.

The holiday travel rush is here, and airports, train and bus depots and the highways will be gushing with turkey gobblers.

"We do expect Wednesday probably to be the busiest day. We're actually looking forward to having a little bit busier holiday season than we did last year," said David Metz, director of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.

Across the nation, 38.9-million people will travel more than 100 miles away from home for Thanksgiving. Of those travelers, 31.6-million will go by car -- up from 30.1-million last year -- and a total of 7.3-million will either fly, ride a train or catch a bus, according to the AAA Auto Club South.

"So there's going to be record volumes of people on the roads this holiday. And that's despite increased fuel costs," said Cindy Sharpe, a spokeswoman for AAA Auto Club South.

Florida gasoline prices averaged $1.50 a gallon for self-serve regular unleaded, compared to $1.28 in November 1999. Still, an estimated 2.1-million Floridians will be traveling by car. "That's almost 14 percent of our population," Sharpe said.

For those driving around the state, Sharpe says significant construction sites could cause delays in the Panhandle along Interstate 10 between Madison County and the Alabama state line, along Interstate 4 in Hillsborough County and U.S. 192 near Orlando, she said.

For many airlines, the rush already is on, although the heaviest traveled day will be Sunday.

"Thanksgiving has changed somewhat over the past couple of years," said Cindi Kurczewski, spokeswoman for Delta Air Lines, which saw some busy days last week. "It used to be Wednesday and Sunday were the absolute busiest. But now ... the Thanksgiving week is really stretching out."

On Sunday alone U.S. Airways is expecting more than 200,000 passengers.

"This is shaking out to be a very heavily traveled period," said David Castelveter, a spokesman for U.S. Airways.

Just in time for the holiday rush, Tampa International Airport has completed its remote economy parking lot, which has 2,150 spaces. A fourth choice for parking, it is uncovered, located near the U.S. post office and is served by a shuttle bus that runs every 10 minutes. An adjacent paved lot has about 400 spaces and is served by a shuttle.

"Our big message we're trying to get out to everyone (is) that parking is going to be available but it may not be your choice," said Brenda Geoghagan, a spokeswoman for the airport. "Therefore, we're advising people to be perfectly safe" by planning ahead. Geoghagan also advised travelers to leave extra early to allow for the crowds.

Last year, Greyhound carried about 800,000 passengers. "We expect to carry even more this year. We sent about 60 drivers to the East Coast to handle the extra passengers," said Kristin Parsley, a spokeswoman for Greyhound. Adding buses is almost a tradition.

"Greyhound doesn't run out of seats like the airlines and Amtrak," she said.

Amtrak is gearing up for about 600,000 passengers on its trains between Wednesday and Sunday. They have added 65,000 seats across the country and, in the Northeast, the company has added 45 full trains.

"With all those people, everybody probably wants their luggage near and dear to them," said Brenda Follmer, a spokeswoman for Amtrak.

And what should travelers do with that favorite holiday dish for the big dinner? "They probably want their casserole near and dear to them," Follmer said. "I would not recommend that just because of the crush of people."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright