Preparations underway for Thanksgiving Travel, Black Friday sales

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -Thanksgiving is less than a week away and that means people are finalizing their travel plans. With travel nearing pre-pandemic levels, people have to be prepared for some backups on the roads and at the airport.

AAA predicts nearly 55 million people across the country will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, and they’re warning people to plan ahead and expect delays.

People across the country are gearing up for a busy travel week.

Spokesperson for AAA Northeast Mark Schieldrop told Western Mass News while gas prices are the highest they’ve been at this time in 21 years, people are still choosing to travel.

“The major slowdowns we see on the major interstates, so Interstate 90. if you’re on the Mass Pike, you’re going to see significant traffic,” he said.

Schieldrop said Wednesday is going to be the worst day to travel, so it’s best to avoid it.

“So if you can take the Tuesday off and travel on Tuesday, you’re going to have much less traffic than you would see on Wednesday,” he said.

They estimate that air travel will increase about 8% from 2021.

“The airports are going to be packed and the planes are going to be full,” he said

Bradley International Airport is also ready for the travel boost.

the Connecticut Airport Authority said it’s expecting about 90-thousand people to leave from Bradley.

Executive Director of the CAA, Kevin Dillon said in part quote: The airport community has been working diligently behind the scenes to prepare for the busy travel season and is committed to assisting passengers on their journey to take their vacations and reunite with family members.”

The Connecticut Airport Authority reminded everyone to confirm your flight with your airline, arrive to the airport early, plan ahead for parking and follow TSA screening guidelines when packing to speed up the security process.

After Thanksgiving, of course, comes Black Friday. However, many of those big sales don’t just last one day anymore. Store manager at Manny’s, Joel Brissette told Western Mass News they’ve had lots of sales going on all month and said it’s their most aggressive pricing of the year.

He added that ongoing supply chain issues are still making availability a challenge for many appliances. But he said people just have to be flexible.

“A couple of years ago, there might not have been really much of anything available. So what we’re find now is, is that maybe if you’re looking for a particular style, model or type of refrigerator, that one may not be available, that one model that you may have wanted, but there may be something comparable that is,” he said.

Brissette said those deals will last through the 26th. While they’re also offering discounts online, he said you have to come into the store for many of the best prices.

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