JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you plan to travel Thursday, leave early -- it’s expected to be the busiest day this year to travel after Christmas.
Drivers will likely see some serious traffic issues, which could include backups on I-95 as travelers return home from holiday vacations.
A family driving to central Florida from Delaware told News4JAX they are remaining optimistic about their trip, but they have already run into some things that slowed them down.
“In Virginia and North Carolina, there was a lot of rain and a lot of traffic. We are around 16 hours of the trip so far,” Angelica Hornedo said.
AAA said drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer than usual. If you live in a major city, it could be worse than that.
The worst time to be out on the road Thursday is between 2-8 p.m. The best time to drive is any time before noon.
It has also been a busy week at the airport.
According to Flight Aware, 79 flights were delayed Tuesday and another 31 were delayed Wednesday.
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One man who was trying to get home to Washington D.C. from Jacksonville told News4JAX his flight was delayed for more than 20 hours before finally taking off Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re just shocked that we’re really at the mercy of the airlines to give us a place to sleep or to give us food or when we’re just kind of standing around,” Kenneth McCreary said. “So it is this eye-opening for me that I’ve never experienced anything like that. And many other people as well. People have children and pets, and they’re kind of at a loss as to what to do.”
At the Jacksonville airport Thursday morning, according to Flight Aware, 14 flights were delayed as of 10 a.m.
Travelers are encouraged to constantly check their flight’s status.