Updated: 11/19/2009 9:51:43 PM
Millions of Americans will be taking off for their Thanksgiving travel plans next week, despite a still recovering economy.
"It's not necessarily a frivolous trip, it's not a vacation that they say, 'oh, maybe we can put that off for a little while,'" said Stephanie Milani, a spokeswoman for AAA East Tennessee. "It's a family tradition. You don't necessarily give up spending time with family and friends."
But Milani says Tennessee travelers may be lagging behind.
AAA predicts that travel nationwide will increase 1.4 percent this year; however, the agency expects to see an 8 percent drop in Tennessee.
"This year, more people are optimistic about the outlook, but as far as Tennessee goes, we're a little bit more conservative when it comes to spending money, and also, Tennessee does still have a pretty high unemployment rate," Milani said.
When it comes to air travel only, experts expect to see a nationwide drop of 4 percent.
However, Beth Baker, a spokeswoman for McGhee Tyson Airport, says East Tennessee may buck that trend.
"We have been up slightly in the past couple of months, so we anticipate that trend to continue," Baker said. "We have some low-fare flights -- Allegiant Air and Air Tran are offering quite a few destinations on low fares. Even U.S. Airways put in a low-fare system a little earlier this year on the fare side. So we've seen some increases in passenger traffic, so I would say we might be able to beat the nationwide system."
Meanwhile, Baker is offering some travel advice for those people who will be flying the friendly skies this Thanksgiving.
She says to arrive early, check with your airline about possible delays or baggage fees, travel lightly, and wear clothing that does not have a lot of metal, such as overalls.
Also, if you have questions about what you can and can't bring on a flight, Baker advises checking the TSA Web site.
