[dateline] -- If you're traveling by plane this holiday season, you can expect your plane to be crowded, but you should have fewer delays.
According to aviation and government experts, there was a drop in delayed flights during September and November compared to the same time in 2007, NBC 4's Paul Stelzer reported.
At Port Columbus International Airport, Melanie Schreiber beat the crowds and flew back to San Francisco three days before Thanksgiving and just after an early holiday celebration with her family in Columbus.
"There's nobody here and it makes a world of different. I'd rather not deal with it and everyone in my family is busy too. So it was fine to do an early Thanksgiving," Schreiber said.
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The number of people traveling by airplane for the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be down around the country and at Port Columbus compared to past Thanksgiving travel periods.
But, experts said, you can still look for big crowds at peak travel times.
There are a few new features in place to make everyone's trip a little smoother.
At the TSA security checkpoint, there is now a line for families.
"I think that's wonderful they have a way for us to step aside and stop impeding other people's progress," said Terri Thiede, a Reynoldsburg resident.
If you've ever spent time driving laps around the terminal driveway at Port Columbus, trying to pick up an arriving passenger, there's now a cell phone lot at Port Columbus, where you can park and wait for a call from the traveler.
The number of people who will travel by car for the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be down slightly this year compared to last year.
AAA predicts that 33.2 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more from home this holiday weekend -- that's a 1.2-percent decrease from 33.6 million Americans traveling by car for Thanksgiving in 2007, Stelzer reported.
According to AAA, this is first decline in Thanksgiving travel since 2002 -- but it is the fourth consecutive holiday travel period (including Labor Day, Independence Day and Memorial Day) to see a year-to-year decrease.
The drop in number of Thanksgiving travelers comes in spite of a dramatic decrease in the price of gas since last year.
AAA said that at this time in 2007, the average price of regular gas in Columbus was $2.97 a gallon. Today, that average is $1.66 per gallon.
Though there may be slightly fewer cars on Ohio highways, you can still expect plenty of traffic for the holiday weekend -- especially Wednesday evening and Sunday night. So officials urge you to allow extra time for your road trip.
Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail us at stories@nbc4i.com.
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