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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 23 november 2022

Thanksgiving travel rush is back with some new habits

By DAVID KOENIG and AL- She said that airlines have
EXANDRA OLSON pared their schedules and
Associated Press hired thousands of work-
The Thanksgiving travel rush ers — they now have more
was back on this year, as pilots than before the pan-
people caught planes in demic. "As a result, we're
numbers not seen in years, confident that the week is
setting aside inflation con- going to go well."
cerns to reunite with loved U.S. airlines plan to operate
ones and enjoy some nor- 13% fewer flights this week
malcy after two holiday than during Thanksgiving
seasons marked by COV- week in 2019. However, by
ID-19 restrictions. using larger planes on av-
Changing habits around erage, the number of seats
work and play, howev- will drop only 2%, accord-
er, might spread out the ing to data from travel-re-
crowds and reduce the searcher Cirium.
usual amount of holiday Airlines continue to blame
travel stress. Experts say flight disruptions on short-
many people will start holi- ages of air traffic control-
day trips early or return lers, especially in Florida, a
home later than normal be- major holiday destination.
cause they will spend a few Controllers, who work for
days working remotely — or An American Airlines plane at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in New York. the Federal Aviation Ad-
at least tell the boss they're Associated Press ministration, "get tested
working remotely. around the holidays. That
The busiest travel days dur- our extended family, I'd more than 2.6 million travel- erations." seems to be when we have
ing Thanksgiving week are say we're feeling thankful ers on Monday, surpassing AAA predicts that 54.6 mil- challenges," Frontier Airlines
usually Tuesday, Wednes- that the world's gotten to a the 2.5 million screened the lion people will travel at CEO Barry Biffle said a few
day and the Sunday after safe enough place where Monday before Thanksgiv- least 50 miles from home days ago. "The FAA is add-
the holiday. This year, the we can be with loved ones ing in 2019. The same trend in the U.S. this week, a 1.5% ing another 10% to head-
Federal Aviation Adminis- again." occurred Sunday, mark- bump over Thanksgiving count, hopefully that's
tration expects Tuesday to Although Williams said the ing the first year that the last year and only 2% less enough."
be the busiest travel day family's budget has been number of people catch- than in 2019. The auto club Transportation Secretary
with roughly 48,000 sched- tight this year, he's capital- ing planes on Thanksgiving and insurance seller says Pete Buttigieg has disputed
uled flights. ized on the opportunity to week surpassed pre-pan- nearly 49 million of those such claims, saying that the
Chris Williams, of Raleigh, teach his kids some per- demic levels. will travel by car, and 4.5 vast majority of delays and
North Carolina, flew Tues- sonal finance basics. His "People are traveling on million will fly between cancellations are caused
day morning with his wife youngest, 11, has been different days. Not every- Wednesday and Sunday. by the airlines themselves.
and two kids to Atlanta, learning how to budget her one is traveling on that U.S. airlines struggled to TSA expects airports to be
Georgia, to spend the holi- allowance money since Wednesday night," says keep up as the number busier than last year and
day with extended family. March and is excited to buy Sharon Pinkerton, senior of passengers surged this probably about on par
"Of course it's a stressful and small gifts for her friends on vice president at the trade year. with 2019. The busiest day
expensive time to fly," said Black Friday or Cyber Mon- group Airlines for America. "We did have a challeng- in TSA's history came on the
Williams, 44, who works in day. "Probably slime," she "People are spreading their ing summer," said Pinkerton, Sunday after Thanksgiving
finance. "But after a cou- said, "with glitter." travel out throughout the whose group speaks for in 2019, when nearly 2.9 mil-
ple years of not getting to The Transportation Security week, which I also think will members including Ameri- lion people were screened
spend Thanksgiving with Administration screened help ensure smoother op- can, United and Delta. at airport checkpoints.q

Boost in people seeking HealthCare.

gov coverage, HHS says

compared to the same the new enrollees, but Indian enrollees increased
time last year. The boost in Becerra said he hopes the from 52,000 to 68,000.
enrollment comes as the agency is reaching people The boost in enrollment is
number of uninsured Amer- in marginalized communi- largely driven by gener-
icans this year reached a ties. ous subsidies -- extended
historic low of 8%. Already this year, the mar- through 2025 in the Demo-
"When you have a good ketplace saw huge gains in crats' $1.9 trillion corona-
product, people will buy it," the number of Black, Latino virus relief law -- that keep
The healthcare.gov website is seen on Nov. 1, 2022 in Washington. Health and Human Services and Native Americans who monthly premiums pay-
Associated Press Secretary Xavier Becerra sought coverage. ments at $0 or just a few
told The Associated Press. Between 2020 and 2022, dollars monthly for most
By AMANDA SEITZ buying private health in- More than 665,000 new the number of Latino enroll- people who sign up.
Associated Press surance for 2023 from the people have bought plans ees jumped from 1.7 million People can sign up for
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Affordable Care Act's mar- on the marketplace since to 2.6 million while 1.3 mil- coverage on HealthCare.
Biden administration an- ketplace. open enrollment started on lion Black people enrolled gov or through their state's
nounced Tuesday that it's Nearly 3.4 million people Nov. 1. last year, up from 900,000 marketplace by Dec. 15 to
seeing a big uptick in the have signed up for cover- HHS didn't provide any de- the year before. get coverage that starts on
number of new customers age — an increase of 17% mographic details about The number of American Jan. 1. q