It’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel. What we don’t yet know is whether it will be naughty or nice.
Travel authorities in the U.S. and Canada say they’re expecting record or near-record travel crowds on the road and at major airports between now and early January. That could mean added stress for customers and an added strain on transportation systems.
But we could get lucky. As of 20DEC, there didn’t appear to be any major weather happenings in store for major Canadian cities or travel hubs over the next week or so. But, baby, it’s cold outside, and things can change quickly. Just ask anyone who lives in Gravenhurst, Ontario and recently witnessed nearly a meter-and-a-half of snow in one day.
No big storms are forecast in the States over the next few days, but there is some snow expected in the U.S. Northeast between now and Christmas Day, which could be an issue.
While there may be no place like home for the holidays, The American Automobile Association predicts more than 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles (80 km’s) from home between 21DEC and New Year’s Day, which would be a record. As the song says, “From Atlantic to Pacific, gee, the traffic is terrific.”
Complicating things is that the U.S. government is in the middle of a funding dispute, and there’s a chance that TSA agents and air traffic controllers will be working without a paycheque if a deal isn’t reached by Congress by midnight on 20DEC. That could lead to workers calling in sick, which likely would mean travel delays.
Associated Press notes that the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups, such as a winter storm or a computer outage, can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December, 2022.
Canadians are certainly not strangers to holiday season travel woes. Sunwing ran into major problems in late 2022 when a huge snowstorm hit YVR, stranding customers at resorts in Mexico. Vancouver Airport officials later announced a $40 million program to add more staff and make other improvements, including more equipment to keep aircraft moving during a storm.
Happy holidays from the Open Jaw crew. May your roads be cleared of snow, your airport security lineups short, and your airplanes on time. See you in 2025!