The upcoming Thanksgiving week will mark another busy holiday travel period in Connecticut.
AAA Club Alliance is forecasting that nearly 864,000 Connecticut residents will travel 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving holiday, which is the seven-day period from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1. That adds up to an uptick of 2.1% from the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday.
On a wider scale, there is a more than 3.6 million people expected to travel throughout New England, also a 2.1% increase from last year. Nationwide, 82 million people are expected to travel, which is up 2% over the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2024.
“It’s going to be a busy Thanksgiving holiday, and people are going to be on the move no matter which way you look at it,” said Tracy E. Noble, a spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance.
“We’ve seen an increase in travel for every major holiday in 2025 and even going back to 2024. This trend of people traveling seems like it is here to stay,” Noble said. “Thanksgiving is the holiday is to gather with loved ones to share a meal. It’s not about gifts. It’s about sharing time, so it’s very important to people and they will face all of the travel woes to do that.”
Noble said state residents should plan ahead and be prepared for backups or delays whether on the roads or at the airports.
AAA projects that about 772,000 Connecticut travelers will be driving to their destination. More than 3.1 million people in New England will be driving and nationally 73 million people will be traveling by car. Both are increases over last Thanksgiving.
When it comes to the best and worst times to travel, on Tuesday, the worst time to travel is between noon and 9 p.m. and the best time is to travel is in the morning. On Wednesday, the busiest time on the roads will be between 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the best time to be on the road is before 11 a.m., according to AAA.
After Thanksgiving, the worst time to travel on Friday is 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday it is from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday is 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday is from noon to 8 p.m., AAA said. The best time to travel on those days is before 11 a.m. on Friday and Sunday and before 10 a.m. on Saturday. On Dec. 1, after 8 p.m. is the best time to travel that day, according to AAA.
AAA notes that gas prices are up six cents from last year. The statewide average for gas is $3.03, which is down from the peak in September, which was $3.21.
Eva Zymaris, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said that all non-emergency roadwork will be paused and reminded travelers to stay safe on Connecticut roads.
“Roads will be busy and a small amount of alcohol can impair one’s ability to drive and people who are going to drink to plan ahead before taking their first drink,” Zymaris said. “If a loved one has been drinking and plans on driving to take their keys away. Also, if someone is driving recklessly on the road to call police immediately.”
Connecticut’s two airports and its train stations are preparing for the holiday push. AAA projects that 73,500 Connecticut residents will be flying to their destination during the Thanksgiving holiday, which is an increase of 2.8% compared to last year.
Michael Jones, CEO of The New HVN LLC, which oversees Tweed New Haven Airport, said the airport is ready for the holiday rush.
“One thing that we know that is always certain is the day after Thanksgiving is always going to be the busiest travel day of the year,” Jones said. “We are looking forward to getting a lot of people coming into New Haven and out of Connecticut to go somewhere warm.”
Jones reminds travelers who will be parking at Tweed to reserve ahead of time to be assured a spot. He also asked travelers to plan for extra time getting to the airport. Jones recommended arriving 90 minutes before to flight time and notes that checked bags should to be processed no later than 45 minutes before the travelers’ scheduled departure.
Other ways to save time are downloading boarding passes prior to arriving at the airport and not packing any liquids more than 3.4 ounces, he said.
Jones said the travel schedule at Tweed will be busier than a typical week at the airport.
“We are seeing a more consistent schedule going through the holidays,” Jones said. “They have more options traveling through the holidays at Tweed, which is great. It gives you a little more flexibility.”
At Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut Airport Authority public information officer Brian Spyros said the airport estimates about 95,000 travelers will depart from Bradley between Nov. 21 and Nov. 30, which is on par to what the airport saw last year.
“We have partners at the airport including the airlines, TSA and the concessions and it’s just an effort to make sure everyone is adequately staffed and ready to handle the influx of passengers that will be coming through the airport and heading to their Thanksgiving destination,” Spyros said.
Spyros said it’s difficult to predict wait times for this week but suggests that all passengers should be in the terminal at least 90 minutes before their flight to give travelers enough time to get through security and to their gates.
Spyros said mornings from 4 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. are especially busy at Bradley and that there could be upwards of 25 flights departing during that span of time. The 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. timeframe is also busy. Getting to the airport early is especially valuable during this time, as there could be lines at the checkpoint or at the airline ticking counter given the number of people who are traveling.
Bradley officials also recommend downloading the airline’s app and logging into your reservation to monitor the status of the flight before arriving at the airport and receive notifications about any status changes.
Travelers are also encouraged to visit the TSA website to learn what they can and cannot bring in their carry-on bags to help save time going through security.
Spyros said between Nov. 7 through Nov. 13, when the air traffic reductions were in place, there were 24 flights cancelled directly related to the government shutdown. Since Nov. 14, Spyros said it has been operation as normal at Bradley with no major cancellations or delays.
Spyros said recent airport improvements will help with the flow at the terminals.
“This will be the first holiday travel season brand new exit corridors will be open in the terminal,” Spyros said. “When passengers return to Bradley, they go through those exit corridors when they land and that’s going to provide fast access to the lower level of the airport for baggage claim, car rentals and ground transportation.”
Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams said Thanksgiving is one of the company’s biggest travel weeks of the year. Last year, Amtrak had about 1.2 million customers throughout the country and expects numbers to be higher this year. He said they broke an Amtrak record with 34 million travelers this year across the train networks.
Closer to home, Abrams said Amtrak is increasing capacity and frequencies in the Northeast corridor and has added cars to some trains as well.
Abrams said some stations throughout the country will have extra Amtrak ambassadors to help people navigating their way. “There are people that are traveling on Amtrak for the first time ever or the first time in any years,” he said.
Abrams suggest travelers download the Amtrak app on their phones for notifications and to scan their tickets.
“Bring your phone chargers with you and keep them on you,” Abrams said. “We have outlets on every seat, so you don’t have to worry about being disconnected. We have free Wi-Fi on board.”
Abrams said in a normal week to get to the station about 30 minutes early, but during the Thanksgiving holiday, he suggest getting there an hour early “just to get settled and figure out where you need to go and have a stress-free experience before your stress-free experience onboard.”
The Connecticut DOT announced last week that additional trains are being added on the Hartford Line “in anticipation of increased ridership over the Thanksgiving holiday.”
On Thanksgiving Day, the Hartford Line will operate on a Saturday schedule and on Friday, the Hartford Line will operate on a normal weekday schedule. CTrail Hartford Line trains will also be added to the schedule.
According to the DOT, four northbound and four southbound CTrail trains will be added to the schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday. Three northbound and three southbound CTrail trains will be added to the schedule on Nov. 30.
Additionally, the New Haven Line and Shore Line East will operate with modified schedules over the holiday.
The CTDOT will have staff on Nov. 25, 26 and 30 to assist passengers at Hartford Line Stations including New Haven Union Station and Hartford Union Station.
“This holiday travel season, we’re adding more trains on the Hartford Line to make getting to your destination easier,” DOT commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said in a news release. “Our staff will be at stations to help all riders — whether it’s your first trip or your hundredth — to find and board the right train. We’re thankful for our rail service providers for partnering with us, ensuring that riders have more options to travel in Connecticut during the upcoming holiday.”