It is the busiest travel day of the year, and this time around more drivers are expected to head out of the city for Thanksgiving. AAA projects more than 43.6 million Americans will travel away from their home city for the holiday.
That is a slight increase from last year and marks the fourth consecutive year of a boost in holiday travelers.
With 90 percent of travelers opting to travel by car, airlines are seeing a slight decline in customers choosing to fly this week.
It is unclear what effect Hurricane Sandy will have on travel around the tri-state area, but it will be tougher for those who planned to rent a car to get out of town.
Many rental companies are reporting a shortage in cars because so many vehicles were damaged in the storm.
Also, drivers have to deal with the city’s gas rationing based on odd or even license plate numbers, which is in place through Friday.
Vehicles with license plates that end in an odd number or vanity plates can only get gas at the pump on odd-numbered days, and vehicles with plates that end in an even number and zero can only get gas on even-numbered days.
Certain vehicles are exempt from the rationing, including taxis and emergency medical doctor plates, commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles and buses.