MAINE, USA — As government health officials across the country warn of the spread of COVID-19 this Thanksgiving, thousands are planning on heading to and from Maine this holiday season.
"We still have a couple of thousand people a day trying to get off to see loved ones," said Portland International Jetport assistant director Zach Sundquist.
Sundquist says this year, the staff at the Jetport are seeing roughly a 50% drop in traffic for the holidays.
"We expect to be busier than the last few weeks, but not anywhere where we were last year at this time," said Bangor International Airport director Tony Caruso. "We are down 60% compared to last year. We have noticed a slight up-turn in arriving passengers."
According to AAA, there has been a drop in in-flight travel across the country amid the pandemic. For the first time since the recession in 2008, the travel organization is predicting a decline in the number of Americans to travel this Thanksgiving.
"The pandemic... If it wasn't center stage before it certainly is a certain stage in terms of travel now," said AAA of Northern New England public affairs director Pat Moody.
AAA predicts that 2.24 million New Englanders will travel this Thanksgiving, which is a decrease of more than 9% from 2019.
Moody says that AAA typically makes its travel projections for Thanksgiving in October. He says that since COVID-19 cases have spiked, he believes travel numbers could even drop below a 10% reduction in total travel.
"Really plan these things out. Know before you go. Understand what those travel restrictions are," said Moody.
Moody adds that although traffic will not reach what it has in past Thanksgivings, there will still be more traffic than we've seen during the pandemic. He urges everyone traveling to allow for extra time on the roadways. Moody also says to pack extra food, water, blankets, and whatever else you may need for the trip so that you don't need to make any unneeded or unplanned in-person interactions.