By Owen Boss and Matt Pilon
Staff Writers
People planning to travel this Thanksgiving by land or air should prepare for crowded travel conditions. The travel organization AAA is forecasting a double-digit increase in Thanksgiving travel in Massachusetts this month compared to last year. And the bulk of it starts today.
The Department of Transportation is warning motorists that to the east, the Mass Pike Sturbridge tolls, I-495, I-95 and I-93 interchanges will likely experience heavy traffic. The DOT is recommending that travelers try to make their trips in the early morning or after 8 p.m. to avoid delays.
Meanwhile, AAA is predicting a 12.7 percent increase in Massachusetts motor vehicle traffic through this weekend. The forecast mirrors a nationwide predicted increase of 11.4 percent, according to Sandra Marsian, vice president of marketing and communications for AAA Pioneer Valley, based in Springfield.
AAA is attributing the increase, which makes up for only half the decrease in holiday travel observed from 2007 to 2009, to slightly improved economic factors over the past year.
Weather could potentially play a factor in any delays, too, Marsian said.
"Certainly inclement weather could increase accidents," Marsian said.
Today's weather is expected to be sunny, but with a 30 percent chance of showers in the evening, according to the National Weather Service. Thursday's forecast is 30 percent chance of rain during the day, and 60 percent at night, and Friday's forecast is for 50 percent chance of rain.
Air travel up, too
It's not just area roads that will see increased traffic. AAA is also predicting a 4.1 percent increase in airline travel from Massachusetts, compared to a 3.5 percent increase nationwide.
Bradley International Airport communications director John Wallace said Tuesday that the airport started experiencing higher numbers of travelers starting last Friday. And, he said, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is usually the busiest day in November.
"Everybody will be going back en masse," Wallace said.
Wallace said passengers are encouraged to arrive 90 minutes before their flight is scheduled to depart.
Meanwhile, driving is more popular than ever. Despite an expected increase in air travel for Massachusetts residents, more are choosing their cars as their mode of vacation transportation, according to AAA data.
"We discovered that this year is the highest share of auto travel since we've started recording the data," said Marsian, of AAA.
In Massachusetts, 94 percent of travelers reported in AAA surveys that they would drive rather than travel by air. It is the highest disparity between driving and flying seen in the past decade, Marsian said.
"Some of that can be attributed to the economy," she said. "They don't want to fly, whether it's the cost or the availability of flights."
Marsian said she doubted that recent news stories about enhanced security patdowns and body scans at airports have affected the numbers much.
"Typically if you need a flight for Thanksgiving, you're planning a couple of months out," she said. "All this has sort of come about in the past few weeks, particularly in the media."
Patdown concerns addressed
David Bassett, federal director of security for the Transportation Security Administration in Connecticut, downplayed concerns over patdowns and body scans in a telephone interview Tuesday.
Bradley International is currently using several of the advanced imaging, or "backscatter," units, he said.
"If you don't go through the backscatter, and you're at the metal detector, if you properly divest and remove items that might cause alarm, chances are you will not receive a patdown," Bassett said.
Bassett said Bradley does not have enough scanners operational to offer all passengers the choice between the scanner and the metal detector. He said that only 1 percent of passengers have requested not to be scanned since the airport installed the scanners several months ago.
"The vast majority prefer it," he said. "They're comfortable with it."
Bassett said TSA screeners at Bradley have been briefed about a recent campaign for a national "opt-out day," which calls for airline passengers to refuse to be body scan, instead opting for the sometimes lengthier metal detector process, which can include the patdown.
The airport is hoping that the idea doesn't catch on.
"I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal," Bassett said. "I think it's a little counterproductive should anybody try to do that, not only for themselves but for the other passengers who are trying to get home safe."
Locals unruffled
Local residents asked Tuesday about their take on the new airport screening methods said they can't see why there's such a fuss.
Of course, they were traveling by bus. Smith College student Kara Dominik, at the bus station Tuesday heading to New York City, said she didn't choose the bus over flying because of concerns over patdowns and body scanners.
"They only ask a few people to go through the body scanner, and if you have nothing to hide it shouldn't be a big deal," Dominik said. "I'd rather know that I'm safe than worry about what someone next to me might have on an airplane."
Easthampton resident Paul Matteson, who experienced a patdown on a recent flight from Amsterdam, had similar sentiments Tuesday.
"I think that unless you have someone actually grope you, then having a problem with the patdown is just an overreaction," Matteson said. "That's the price you've got to pay if you want to be safe."
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com
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