SPOKANE -- Flying on the busiest travel day usually means long lines and short tempers. There were plenty of people at the Spokane International Airport waiting for their flights to come in.
By mid-morning, the curb outside the airport was lined with people waiting to pick up loved ones. Inside, passengers hurried from the ticket counter to the security gate. But what wasn't a problem was the usual holiday frayed nerves and long lines.
Thanksgiving travel plummeted a staggering 25% between 2007 and 2008, and many of those habits seem to be sticking this year.
According to an AAA survey, the number of people traveling is likely to stay about the same, inching up only by about 1.4%. AAA also estimates that about 33 million people will travel by car. But the number of travelers by air is expected to drop from 2.5 million in 2008 to 2.3 million this year.
Kevin Thorson and his family arrived early to make their flight to Minneapolis.
"We were expecting a couple hour wait," said Thorson. Instead, they had their tickets in hand and didn't encounter any problems.
Mike Wilson and his family were on a full flight from Salt Lake City. He says he couldn't tell there was a recession, the plane was packed. It's a sign the sour economy isn't standing in the way of the holiday.
Wednesday's weather did cause some problems at the Spokane International Airport. Wilson's flight from Salt Lake City had to circle because of fog. They landed, refueled then made it in late Wednesday morning.
About 38 million domestic travelers are expected to go somewhere. That compares to the roughly 58 million who made holiday journeys in 2005 when the economy was better.
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