Best, Worst Times To Travel On L.I. This Thanksgiving Weekend

According to AAA, nearly 51 million motorists will travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving, which is the highest number of travelers on this day since 2005 and 1.6 million more travelers than last year.

About 89.3 percent of these travelers will drive to their destinations between Wednesday and Sunday.

“Thanksgiving kicks off the start of a busy holiday season, and more thankful Americans will travel to spend time with friends and family this year,” Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president of travel and publishing, said in a press release. “A strong economy and labor market are generating rising incomes and higher consumer confidence, fueling a strong year for the travel industry, which will continue into the holiday season.”

About 3.95 million people will fly over this holiday weekend, which is a 5 percent increase from last year and the highest growth of holiday travel, AAA says.

Another reported 1.48 million people will use other forms of transportation like a cruise, train or bus to get to their destination.

Whether you're traveling by car, train or plane, Patch has compiled traffic tips and statistics to help you get through this traffic-heavy weekend as seamlessly as possible.

Best and Worst Times to Travel

Google Trends released some holiday tips using historical Google Maps traffic data to figure out when the best times are to travel from Wednesday through Sunday. The best time to travel before Thanksgiving is Wednesday at 4 a.m. while the worst time is Wednesday at 4 p.m.

When you're coming home, do it the day after Thanksgiving, Friday at 4 a.m. The worst time is Sunday at 3 p.m., according to Google.

The rest of the country follows similar trends. According to Google, late Wednesday afternoon will be the busiest time on the road, while Thanksgiving morning will be the best. leaving early Sunday may be your next best bet. Avoid both Friday and Saturday afternoons though, Google says.

Long Island Expressway

New York is listed as the third most popular city for Thanksgiving travel in the nation. However, a section of the Long Island Expressway is expected to have the second-most congested travel. AAA says the biggest traffic hotspot in New York is the Long Island Expressway between Routes 106 and 107 in Jericho.

Traveling by Long Island Rail Road

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it will operate on special schedules from Wednesday through Sunday to accommodate the demands of travelers on Thanksgiving weekend.

• Wednesday: Twelve extra afternoon eastbound trains will handle the rush of customers heading home early for the holiday weekend.
• Thursday: There will be six extra westbound trains and 11 extra eastbound trains in the afternoon to accommodate Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade travel.
• Friday: The LIRR will run a regular weekday schedule with tickets at off-peak fares.
• Saturday and Sunday: The LIRR will have an additional four morning westbound trains and six afternoon eastbound trains to meet the holiday season demand, which will continue every weekend until the end of December.

Traveling by Plane

AAA recommends to account for long security lines and longer drive times to the airport.

John F. Kennedy International Airport is expected to be one of the five busiest airports for Thanksgiving travel. The other busiest airports will be Orlando International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

The delays going into JFK and the rest of the nation’s busiest airports could be up to an hour, AAA says.

The worst time to travel to JFK via the Long Island Expressway is Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., AAA says. That commute will take about 1 hour and 54 minutes.

So if you're waiting for a last-minute deal to open up, try to avoid those busy hubs if you can.

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