Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Holiday Travel Snarls Look To Be Easing

Passengers Morgan Griffin, 20, left, and his brother, Eric Crandell 12, browse their mobile devices as they await to board The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train bound to Santa Barbara, Calif., at Union Station in Los Angeles, on Wednesday. Snow and rain in the east has snarled holiday travel, but by Thanksgiving day, things looked to be improving.
Damian Dovarganes AP
Passengers Morgan Griffin, 20, left, and his brother, Eric Crandell 12, browse their mobile devices as they await to board The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train bound to Santa Barbara, Calif., at Union Station in Los Angeles, on Wednesday. Snow and rain in the east has snarled holiday travel, but by Thanksgiving day, things looked to be improving.

The weather is still wreaking havoc for a the Americans still traveling today on planes, trains and in automobiles, but for the most part, the situation has improved dramatically as people crisscrossed their way around the country making their way to Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends.

AAA estimates that 46 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles to attend Thanksgiving festivities — the busiest in seven years.

Accuweather says the snow that fell on Wednesday is continuing to disrupt holiday travel in some places:

Advertisement
"The heaviest snow will continue through Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, into Thursday morning. "'Some places in Maine could see up to or more than 1 foot of snow for the storm's total,' AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said. "The heavy, wet nature of the snow may cause downed trees and power lines, he added."

But the FAA is reporting no significant air traffic delays today in the country's east, where a major winter storm brought a mix of snow and rain. That is a turnaround from Wednesday, when the weather caused delays for an estimated 90,000 people on the busiest travel day of the season.

And Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods is quoted by NBC as saying the rail system is "working, just busy."

NBC says that 6.7 inches of snow fell in Albany, New York, by Wednesday evening, breaking that city's single-day record.

Despite the hiccups, travelers have one thing to be thankful for: the lowest gas prices in years. That not only means it's cheaper to fill up the family car, but has also translated to cheaper air fares too, as the airlines have passed on some of their savings in jet fuel costs to consumers.

Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.