The skies and roadways will be somewhat less crowded this Thanksgiving holiday season, as a tough economy takes its toll on travelers' pocketbooks and psyches.

Fewer South Florida travelers are expected to take to the air for Thanksgiving this year, with local airports expecting only a minor drop-off in passenger volume -- less than the 10 percent reduction anticipated nationwide. That's the first such decline in the United States in seven years.

Still, planes likely will be full, as airlines have cut back on their schedules due to economic pressures, the Air Transport Association said.

Meanwhile, more than 33.2 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 33.6 million people who drove a year ago, according to AAA. It predicts the first decline in overall Thanksgiving holiday travel since 2002, despite gas prices plummeting to the $2 per gallon range in some areas.

If you are among those flying: Remember to arrive extra early, bring a zip-top plastic bag for your three-ounce liquids and gels -- and carry your identification.

And if you're toting a container of homemade gravy or cranberry sauce, be sure to pack it in your checked baggage.

To help ease your travel, you'll find some new airport conveniences this year, like ''family lanes'' geared to speed up security at both Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports, and free electronics charging stations at MIA.

Miami International projects a 1 percent decrease in travelers for the week beginning Monday through Monday, Dec. 1, which translates to 738,600 passengers, said airport spokesman Greg Chin.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which has about 85 percent domestic passengers, predicts a ''slight'' decrease in passenger traffic, said spokesman Greg Meyer. The airport cannot provide an estimated percentage decline, he said.

Both airport spokesman advise domestic travelers to arrive two hours in advance of their flights, and international travelers, three hours early.

At MIA, passengers can benefit from a new feature for consumers.

Samsung has recently installed 40 free electronics charging stations at MIA, each with four chargers that can be used to charge cellphones, laptops or other personal devices.

Colin Leslie, who lives in Baltimore and was en route to La Romana, Dominican Republic on Thursday, used a charger for his laptop and his cellphone.

''It's better than trying to sit on the floor and find an outlet,'' said Leslie, 45. ``They're nice and they're easy to find.''

Also to ease the travel experience, the Transportation Security Administration has created ''family lanes'' at all U.S. checkpoints in time for Thanksgiving.

The lanes allow families and individuals unfamiliar with security, as well as travelers with special needs, to go through the checkpoint at their own pace.

Nationwide, the Air Transport Association is predicting packed planes, despite a 10 percent decrease in the number of passengers traveling on U.S. airlines during the Thanksgiving holiday season.

The three busiest days are expected to be Sunday, Nov. 30, Monday, Dec. 1, and Wednesday, Nov. 26, in that order. On those days, ATA projects that planes will be, on average, close to 90 percent full.

While fewer cars will be on the roads, low fuel prices may make driving a viable option.

''The overall state of the economy continues to present real challenges for some Americans looking to travel this Thanksgiving,'' AAA Chief Executive Robert L. Darbelnet said in a statement. ``However, the desire to spend time with family, combined with significantly lower gasoline prices than earlier this year, will provide a strong impetus for many Americans to travel this holiday season.''

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@