travel

Holiday Weekend Ground, Air Travel Numbers Highest Since Pandemic Began

Nationwide, the TSA says airports saw 2.2 million travelers on Friday, the highest number since the pandemic began

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As the holiday weekend winds down, it appears travelers took to the sky or hit the road in huge numbers -- another sign we’re emerging from the pandemic. 

Francisco and Lidsey Rodriguez were heading home to San Antonio Monday after visiting family in the Bay Area. They were part of a post-pandemic record at Mineta San Jose International Airport -- where officials say 15,000 people boarded planes on Friday and even more on Saturday.

It was the most since the pandemic began, planes were packed.

“It was absolutely full. Yeah,” said Lyndsay. 

She said she wasn’t nervous because everybody had their masks on all the time.

“We have postponed seeing my brother in law and my sister in law for more than a year because of COVID,” said Francisco. “So we had the tickets and it was just the right time.”

Ernesto Ruiz, headed to Mexico, agrees.

“I guess we’re all over it already,” said Ruiz from Fremont. “Been a year already since COVID started, now we got over it.”

Nationwide, the TSA says airports saw 2.2 million travelers on Friday, the highest number since the pandemic began. But that doesn’t mean everyone is convinced that COVID is done with us.

“I know people are bored and they’re frustrated and so they’re risking it,” said Cora Richardson. “Even without being vaccinated, and so for me, that’s the concern.”

On the roads, a similar story. Even sky high gas prices didn’t slow the holiday Getaway.

Nationwide, about 43 million cars were expected on the road this weekend.

“Obviously the gas prices being higher lately has been frustrating, but it didn’t really play a major factor in me deciding to enjoy the weekend,” said Forrest Hancook of San Francisco.

The big numbers do seem to indicate a lot of people are over their reluctance to travel and we still have one day of holiday travel remaining.

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