MA 2019 Thanksgiving Travel Guide: Wind Causing Airport Delays

BOSTON — The busiest travel day of the year got a bit more frustrating Wednesday afternoon, as officials at Logan International Airport in Boston said they were putting a traffic management program in effect. The wind, officials said, was causing flights heading to delay departure.

Monitor www.massport.com for updated airline and airport information and Transportation Security Administration carry-on luggage regulations. The Massport website allows travelers to check flight status, parking conditions and public transportation options from their smartphone or tablet. Massport also encourages travelers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport for the most updated flight status and travel information.

On the roads, volume was as heavy as expected but there were no major backups as of 4:45 p.m. In data released earlier this week, Google projected the worst time to leave Boston by car would be 3 p.m. Wedensday. If you're looking for the best time to leave, you missed it, according to Google: that was at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.

If you're visiting Boston for the holiday and want to plan your return trip out of town, the best time to leave will be 5 a.m. on Sunday, while the worst time will to head home will be 3 p.m. on Friday.

In fact, even though a lot of people take Friday off, drivers can expect rush hour traffic similar to those found on a typical Friday, thanks to Black Friday shoppers. Fortunately, Patch has you covered. We'll update this story with the latest traffic news from now until you are safely tucked in wherever it is you are heading.

Live Traffic Map, Travel Alerts and Updates

The holiday travel crunch didn't get off to a good start Tuesday afternoon, with multiple crashes reported on major highways in the region. By 4 p.m. Tuesday, most roads were seeing heavier-than-normal traffic volume for a weekday afternoon.

The map below shows real-time traffic condition courtesy of Waze. You can use the search box at the bottom of the map to customize it to your travel plans. We'll also update this section with news of major backups as we hear about them:

Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan your trip:

• MassDOT will extend the hours of its High Occupancy Vehicle (H.O.V.) lanes heading into the holiday weekend. The outbound HOV lane between Boston and Quincy on Interstate 93 South will be open between 2 and 8 pm on Tuesday and from 1 to 8 pm on Wednesday. The lane will be closed Thursday and Friday and return to normal hours next Monday.
• The Sumner Tunnel Swing Lane is opening at 1 pm Tuesday and will stay open until 5 am on Monday.
• MassDOT is offering free coffee at its 18 service plazas from 10 p.m. Thursday, November 27, through 5 a.m., Friday, November 28. The plazas serving free coffee include 11 service plazas along I-90, as well as plazas along Route 3 in Plymouth, Route 128 in Beverly, Route 128/I-95 in Newton and Lexington, Route 6 in Barnstable, and the Route 24 northbound and southbound plazas.

Record-Breaking Year

Last year, when 54.3 million people made trips of 50 miles or more from home, AAA said it was the second busiest year for Thanksgiving travel since the organization started keeping track of travel volume in 2000. Then came this year, when AAA expects 55 million people to travel for Thanksgiving. As it was last year, higher wages and more disposable income are prompting more people making trips over the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Millions of thankful Americans are starting the holiday season off right with a Thanksgiving getaway," said Mary Maguire, Director of Public and Legislative Affairs at AAA Northeast. "Strong economic fundamentals are motivating Americans to venture out this holiday in near-record numbers. Consumer spending remains strong, thanks to increasing wages, disposable income and household wealth, and travel remains one of their top priorities for the holiday season."

Of those 55 million travelers, 1.26 million will be Massachusetts residents, with 1.1 million traveling by car. Volume will be heavier than usual on Massachusetts roadways throughout the week and will peak on Wednesday afternoon, when some trips could take more than three times longer than they would on a typical Wednesday afternoon.

Related: Get a head start on holiday shopping with these Black Friday deals!

Best Times To Leave

In greater Boston, AAA expects the worst traffic between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when trips will take, on average, 3.4 times longer than usual. If possible, AAA recommends holding off until Thursday morning to hit the road. And for your return trip, plan to come home on Friday or Saturday, because traffic will be at its heaviest on Sunday.

AAA projected Monday to be the best day to travel by air ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and, if you can, is recommending you wait until Thursday to fly. Tuesday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week are always more crowded at airports than Thursday. An added bonus is that average ticket costs are significantly lower when you depart on Thursday.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

AAA said Monday was the best day to travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. But it's going to be busy in the nations airports throughout the week. AAA predicts that 4.6 percent, or 4.45 million people will fly this year when compared to 2017. By comparison, car travel is going up "only" 2.8 percent, with 49.3 million people taking to the roads.

Here are some resources for air travelers coming to and leaving from Boston's Logan International Airport:

• Monitor www.massport.com for updated airline and airport information and Transportation Security Administration carry-on luggage regulations. The Massport website allows travelers to check flight status, parking conditions and public transportation options from their smartphone or tablet. Massport also encourages travelers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport for the most updated flight status and travel information.
• The MBTA is offering additional Silver Line Service through Wednesday and again on Friday to accommodate travelers to and from Logan airport. See www.mbta.com for schedule information.

Uber is offering free rides in select Massachusetts communities on Thanksgiving Eve.

The MBTA will primarily operate on a Sunday schedule on Thursday, the holiday, and run a normal, weekday service the remainder of the week. But note the following if public transportation is part of your holiday travel plan:

• The MBTA will be adding cars to certain commuter rail trains leaving Boston on Wednesday. The commuter rail will operate on a weekday schedule on Wednesday and Friday and on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving.
• The MBTA will operate regular, weekday service on buses and subways on Wednesday and Friday and a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving.
• The RIDE will offer regular service, excluding subscription trips, on Thursday.
• The MBTA will not operate ferry service on Thanksgiving.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).