Fall break travelers expected to make Indiana’s airports, highways busier

INDIANAPOLIS — We’re currently in peak fall travel season, and whether you’re driving or flying, you should expect a lot of extra company.

“You and 20,000 of your best friends are going out on peak travel days, and so there are things you can do to make that process easier,” said Megan Carrico, a spokesperson for Indianapolis International Airport.

Carrico said the easiest thing you can do during busy travel times is plan ahead. Indianapolis International Airport is anticipating its busiest fall travel season ever this year, with 400,000 people expected to fly out between now and Oct. 24.

The busiest time to fly out of Indianapolis is the early morning. On any given day, a third of all flights depart before 9 a.m.

“So many flights are taking off in that early morning, so especially if you’re leaving early, I recommend two hours,” said Carrico.

AAA is also expecting roads to be busier this fall too, and if you’re driving, there’s some good news — gas prices are expected to decrease.

AAA is encouraging Hoosiers to leave for their destinations early, so they’re not stuck sitting in traffic.

“If you’re driving, always leaving earlier in the day is better no matter what day you’re planning on leaving,” said Christina Griffiths, a spokesperson for AAA. “So with traffic we see more on Friday afternoons and Sunday afternoons.”

While hundreds of thousands of people from central Indiana are planning to travel for fall break, the good news is the travel period is stretched out over several weeks as opposed to everyone travelling at the same time around Thanksgiving.

“The good thing with fall break, kind of similar to spring break, you have some people travelling this week, some traveling next week, so the timing can vary a little bit over the next few weeks,” Griffiths said.

Whether you’re driving or flying, peak travel days are Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday.