Poll:
Are you traveling away from home this Thanksgiving?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- More Thanksgiving travelers are taking to the highways and fewer are flying, according to AAA Carolinas.
However, Wednesday still meant 40,000 additional travelers flying into and out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
Airport officials say the number of flights per day was about the same -- 630 -- but the difference is the flights are full.
Roads and highways are busy with people heading to the airport to pick up loved ones.
Becky and Joe Howell said they are driving 475 miles for Thanksgiving -- from Virginia to Georgia. They made a pit stop at a rest stop off Interstate 77.
They're driving instead of flying because it's tradition.
"It does get aggravating sometimes when the traffic gets so heavy," Becky Howell said.
Busy highways are the reason why Helen Helms had coffee and hot chocolate lined up at that same rest stop. She is a member of the Travelers Protective Association of America -- a nonprofit that promotes road safety, especially for children.
"It's just to help them out in their travels," Helms said of the coffee and hot chocolate.
Drivers talk to her about their long trips.
"The farthest distance was Canada and through heading to Florida," she said, referring to a conversation Wednesday with a driver.
You'd think that distance would warrant a plane trip. But, AAA Carolinas says fewer folks are flying -- 7 percent fewer.
Travelers blame ticket prices and extra fees in a tough economy.
Lloyd Dennis, 98, flew into Charlotte-Douglas.
"To see my daughter and her husband," Dennis said.
The in-laws say they'll make up the cost elsewhere.
"We just think family is more important," said son-in-law Dareld Herod.
Back on the road, the end of the Howells' trip doesn't include a turkey dinner.
"No, we do TV dinners," Becky Howell said, laughing.
And, she says, cheaper hotel rates mean more gas money.
Overall, AAA Carolinas says 27,000 more people in the Carolinas are driving this year compared to last, even with higher gas prices.
