Holiday airline travel expected to take a dip

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - It's the busiest travel time of the year but a slow economy may slow down the number of people hitting the roads and airports for Thanksgiving.

The TSA will reveal their official projections Tuesday but most are saying the numbers will be down for air travel.

Last year at the Indianapolis International Airport, with big numbers the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, nearly 12,500 passengers departed. On Thanksgiving Day, just over 7,000 departed and Friday over 8,500. The departures picked up during the weekend through Monday with between 11,328 on Saturday, 13,125 on Sunday and on Monday 11,369.

Indianapolis Airport Air Services Director Chris Matney said last year's numbers were down 10 percent and he said the economy is the number one factor. They are looking for slightly smaller crowds this year.

"We're expecting just a little bit of a drop in passenger travel from last year, we would expect a maybe a four to five percent drop in passenger travel based on their activities," said Matney.

Now, even with the numbers down, it will still be busy and there are some key things to remember to make your travels less stressful .

• Check in online 24 hours before departure
• Get there early 60-90 minutes before flight
• Pack properly, remember the rule of carrying liquids and remember don't wrap any gifts in your carry-on
• Don't forget your ID

The AAA Motor Club believes car travel will be up this holiday and some good news if you are hitting the roads gas prices are down.

The average price of regular gasoline, according to a national Lundberg survey released Monday has dropped 3.6 cents over a two-week period to $2.65.

Web sites and your mobile device could come in real handy at making car travel less stressful. Mobile apps can find the cheapest gas and serve as a navigation device -- just let your co-pilot do the navigating don't be distracted while driving.