GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — AAA thinks holiday travel through Michigan this year will be down more than 30%. Air travel, specifically, is down almost 60% in our state.
Still, that means hundreds of thousands of people will travel, at a time when the CDC is telling them to stay put.
In Grand Rapids, the airport saw more than 300,000 passengers in December last year. While AAA thinks only about 40% of that will show up this year, Ford Airport management expects it to be slightly higher in Grand Rapids, reaching about half.
It hopes to see a slight uptick from Thanksgiving. But even with vaccines authorized, it’s not a sign that a travel bounce-back is here.
“We would like to see a spike in travelers, of course," said Alex Peric, the chief operating officer for the Ford Airport. "We're realistically expecting a kind of slow, gradual climb out."
The most important thing you can do is wear a mask. Some airlines are still blocking middle seats, though most are filling up planes these days.
The riskiest part of your journey is when your off the plane, in terminals or rideshares.
If you need to cancel your plans, it’s not too late. A lot of airlines are offering waivers for tickets cancelled because of coronavirus concerns.
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