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Holiday traffic surges as travelers hit the road and take to the sky

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Millions of Americans are loading up their cars or piling onto planes, determined to reclaim Thanksgiving traditions that were put on pause last year by the pandemic.

The number of air travelers this week is expected to approach or even exceed pre-pandemic levels. Last night, traffic was backed up for miles as travelers headed to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.

Auto club AAA predicts that 48.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday period, an increase of nearly 4 million over last year as the coronavirus kept many people home.

While many have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the U.S. is currently averaging nearly 100,000 new infections a day.