SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Holiday travel is always subject to bad weather, delays and illnesses. Add to the mix this year is the ongoing government shutdown, which has already led to flight cancellations. And that's making some anxious holiday travelers reassess their plans, even with Thanksgiving still weeks away. NPR's Liz Baker reports.
LIZ BAKER, BYLINE: Ah, the holiday traveler, famously well-rested, calm and polite. Am I right?
AIXA DIAZ: Air travel causes anxiety and nervousness among many people on a good day.
BAKER: Aixa Diaz is a spokesperson for AAA.
DIAZ: Aside from the logistics and the money involved, there are a lot of emotions involved in travel. We travel because we want to spend time with people we love, and we want to do fun things.
BAKER: Especially around the holidays. AAA usually puts out a travel forecast before big days like Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. This year, Diaz says that's going to be trickier than usual. More people might suddenly decide to hit the road at the last minute to avoid the airport.
DIAZ: Everything's so fluid. It's hard to chase the headlines with these types of projections.
BAKER: Headlines like the continuing government shutdown, leading to unpaid air traffic controllers calling out of work, leading to the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to cut flights, potentially by as much as 20%. In other words, anything could happen by Thanksgiving.
DIAZ: Uncertainty is sort of baked into travel, and this certainly doesn't help. But I think keeping it in perspective, controlling what you can and staying informed. Don't be caught off guard.
BAKER: Traveler Rebecca Abramson (ph) says she's staying as informed as she can, following the news and downloading her airline's app so she gets notifications of any changes.
REBECCA ABRAMSON: Thanksgiving is actually one of my favorite holidays to spend with my family. So I'm definitely a little worried about, like, actually making it there.
BAKER: The 22-year-old says she hasn't seen her Atlanta-based family for months. She'll do what she can. She's planning to take a half-day off work and a ride-share to the airport so she has plenty of time to get through security. Still, she worries that flight delays could cause her to miss Thanksgiving dinner, or worse, work at her new job the following Monday.
ABRAMSON: It's frustrating that the government can't, like, figure it out and, like, just, like, do what they need to do in order for everyone to not have these anxieties.
BAKER: Joey Cummings (ph) in Brooklyn has been a frequent flyer for decades, both as a passenger and as a recreational pilot. But this holiday government shutdown...
JOEY CUMMINGS: If I'm going anywhere, it's going to be on a train.
BAKER: And that would be a long ride from New York to Alabama. But for Cummings, it's about solidarity.
CUMMINGS: I have tremendous regard for air traffic controllers. The average traveler that hasn't had the experience of being on the tarmac, taking off, talking to the tower has no idea of the degree of responsibility and stress that they go through.
BAKER: And maybe the best advice of all for coping with holiday travel anxiety, says Cummings...
CUMMINGS: Be in a place of tremendous gratitude, especially at Thanksgiving.
BAKER: A little focus on the reason for the season. And, adds AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz...
DIAZ: Chances are your flight's going to be fine. Most people will get to their destinations eventually.
BAKER: A little dose of perspective before hitting the panic button and the cancel button.
Liz Baker, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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