What You Can Expect For Upcoming Thanksgiving Travel

Over the river and through the woods, are you traveling outside of Southwest Florida for Thanksgiving? According to the latest predictions from Florida based AAA (American Automobile Association), 55.4 million people will be going 50 miles or more from home to celebrate the holiday. Here is more of what you can expect for upcoming Thanksgiving travel. About 4.7 million Americans will be flying. Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers has a few new airlines and several new routes to contribute to that flight data.

Here is how the numbers are shaping up. Experts are predicting an increase in travel this Thanksgiving holiday of 2.3% over last year. That might not sound like much. However, it would mark the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since the year 2000. That is when AAA began tracking holiday travel. The number of air passengers is expected to be up by 6.6%.

With numbers like this, travel experts also have some advice to help you navigate the crowded highways and airports. Try to drive at off hours, early in the morning, later in the evening. Use navigation and travel apps to check for traffic congestion, accidents and other delays.

When flying, arrive early to the airport. Consolidate all carry-on items to speed the lines through security as well as the boarding process. If you check luggage, consider making an investment in tracking devices in case your bags do not arrive when you do. Lost luggage is a big problem for many airports and it's not fun if it has ever happened to you.

Most of all, pack your patience. You are sharing roadways and airways with people just like you who are trying get to friends and family for the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period encompasses five days. It is defined as beginning Wednesday, November 22 and lasting through Sunday November 26th. Enjoy your Thanksgiving travel.

RSW Named Number One Airport In America. Fort Myers is known for having the best beaches, golf courses and sunsets. Now, it will also be known for having the best airport too.

Being from Chicago, I was used to flying out of Ohare, which is one of the busiest airports in the country. Not only was traffic on the highway always terrible, but parking was easily an hour event, not to mention expensive. Also, the lines for check-in and TSA were insanely long. So, it was a breath of fresh air after moving here to be able to fly out of RSW. Yes, they may recommend arriving 2 hours before your flight leaves, but I've never waited longer than 10 minutes to get through security. It's convenient, parking is reasonable, and no trams or people movers are necessary to get around the airport.

I'm not the only one to think that Southwest Florida International (RSW) is pretty great. Travel Lens thinks so too. Travel Lens is an online publication that features best hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, and airports. There are over 5000 public airports in the United States. Travel Lens looked at the 50 busiest airports in the country and factors like wait times, passenger satisfaction, CO2 emissions and Google review ratings.

On the USA Airport Report by Travel Lens, RSW came in at number one with a rating of 8.06/10.  The airport has a Google review rating of 4.5 /5. While it's not the biggest airport, it may surprise you to learn that it's the second busiest single runway airport in the United States. The average wait time is just 16 minutes and there are low pollution levels.

Ben Siegel is the executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. He said about their rating "We would not be able to have this success without our employees, the airlines, Transportation Security Administration, concessions and airport business partners who work so hard each and every day to make the travel experience at RSW a positive one for our guests."

Score: 6.58

Score: 6.63

Score: 6.89

Score: 7.1

Score: 7.3

Score: 7.35

Score: 7.76

Score: 7.86

Score: 7.96

Score: 8.06