WILMINGTON — In Delaware, about 4,700 miles of roadway runs throughout the state — but this year, travelers are getting used to the new air option for Thanksgiving travel.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) projected 80 million travelers would travel more than 50 miles from home between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2. For 96-mile long Delaware, known as “the state of neighbors,” the AAA predicted that one in five residents would travel that distance or about 20% of the state’s population.
Although a small fraction of Delawareans were predicted to fly, it still made for a busy week at the Wilmington International Airport (ILG). The terminal’s only commercial air service, Avelo Airlines, reported 52 unique plane arrivals and 52 departures that week — coming in at 8,000 people finding their ways through the airport. This Thanksgiving marked the airliner’s second in ILG.
While that is dwarfed by the 1 million expected at the nearby Philadelphia International Airport, Avelo Airlines is adamant on the business that can be brought in for the holidays, namely through relying on its reputation as an affordable, convenient and reliable airliner for smaller markets.
Between Nov. 16 and Nov. 28, Avelo flew 125,000 customers on more than 800 flights throughout the country and Puerto Rico. In December, Avelo anticipates flying 250,000 passengers through the month, marking its busiest month to date. More than half the predicted flights in December are predicted to take place between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5.
“This holiday season will be Avelo’s busiest since taking flight in 2021. And our planes are fuller than ever,” Avelo Airlines Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said in a prepared statement. “We know our Customers are counting on us to get them and their bags to their Thanksgiving gatherings, which is why we’re so proud to head into this busy travel period as the industry’s most reliable airline.”
To cap off the end of the busy holiday season, Avelo had announced that it will once again offer flights to Nashville International Airport in Tennessee.
Meanwhile, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) also reported a strong travel season from Delawareans and visitors who drove in and out of the state by car.
DelDOT recorded 542,100 vehicles passing through Newark’s I-95 toll plaza in both directions between Nov. 27 and Dec. 1, a 12% increase from the same time period in 2023.
The Biddles Corner Toll Plaza in Middletown saw 322,110 vehicles drive through the same time period, or a 1.7% increase from Thanksgiving 2023. The Dover toll plaza saw 345,030 cars in the same five days.
