As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents
6 P.M. WE’RE STARTING THIS FRIDAY EVENING WITH A LIVE LOOK HERE AT THE ROADWAYS ACROSS OUR AREA. AND THIS IS HIGHWAY 50 IN RANCHO CORDOVA, I-5 IN SACRAMENTO, WHERE IT’S SLOWING THROUGH THAT S-CURVE RIGHT THERE THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND I-80 AND ROSEVILLE. WE HAVEN’T REACHED THE BIG THANKSGIVING TRAVEL RUSH JUST YET, BUT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT GETTING OUT TO THEIR DESTINATION ALREADY. MILLIONS WILL BE DRIVING, FLYING, MAYBE TAKING A TRAIN SOMEWHERE AHEAD OF THE BIG HOLIDAY NEXT THURSDAY. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT AT SIX. I’M GULSTAN DART AND I’M EDIE LAMBERT, SO THE BUSIEST DAYS WILL BE NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE THE HOLIDAY, AND THEN THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING IS EXPECTED TO BE EVEN MORE CROWDED. FOR A LOOK AT THE AT THE ROADS RIGHT NOW, LET’S GO OUT LIVE TO KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ SHE’S LIVE. TRACKER THREE. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING OUT THERE? EDIE? WE ARE DRIVING ALONG INTERSTATE 80 WESTBOUND AND YEAH, THIS. ISN’T THAT HOLIDAY TRAFFIC JUST YET, BUT IT IS EXPECTED THAT MORE THAN 11 MILLION CALIFORNIANS WILL BE TRAVELING. SO THIS IS SOMETHING OF WHAT WE MAY BE SEEING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THOSE PEOPLE TRAVELING ON THE ROAD FOR THANKSGIVING, BECAUSE MORE THAN 9 MILLION PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO HIT THE ROAD ACROSS THE STATE. NOW, IF YOU’RE LEAVING FROM THE SACRAMENTO AREA, TRIPLE A RECOMMENDS GIVING YOURSELF EXTRA TIME AND CHECKING YOUR ROUTE BEFORE YOU GO. THEY DID A STUDY FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SANTA ROSA, AND THEY’RE EXPECTING THAT DRIVE TO TAKE MORE THAN TWO HOURS. SO IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 80, JUST BE PREPARED FOR THAT. NOW, IF YOU’RE FLYING. GOOD NEWS. AIR TRAVEL IN THE STATE WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER AT AROUND 1.1 MILLION PASSENGERS AT THE SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, A SPOKESPERSON TELLS US THEY’LL BE FULLY STAFFED NEXT WEEK. BUT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE HEADING OUT, THEY’RE ENCOURAGING TRAVELERS TO TAKE RIDESHARE TO THE AIRPORT. NOW, TODAY, WE HEARD FROM SOME OF THOSE TRAVELERS WHO DECIDED TO LEAVE TODAY BECAUSE THEY SAY TICKETS WERE A LITTLE CHEAPER AND THEY WERE ALSO TRYING TO AVOID THE CROWDS. I ALWAYS DO WHERE I CHECK EACH DAY, AND IT WAS A CHEAP DAY, SO THAT WAS PART OF IT. I JUST DIDN’T WANT TO TRAVEL THE WEEK OF. IT’S MORE EXPENSIVE. FRIDAY WAS MORE CHEAPER, AND THEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE MORE CROWDED. MY AUNT JUST DROPPED US OFF BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A LOT OF CARS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND AND IF YOU’RE STILL SET ON PARKING, JUST A HEADS UP, IT COULD TAKE UP TO AN HOUR. FROM THE MOMENT YOU PARK TO THE MOMENT YOU REACH YOUR TERMINAL. NOW, WE’RE TOLD BY A SPOKESPERSON AT THE SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THAT THEY WILL BE PLANNING ON OPENING THE WEST ECONOMY LOT. IF IT DOES GET PRETTY PACKED OUT THERE, ADDING AN ADDITIONAL 3000 PARKING SPACES. FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN LIVE. TRACKER MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA THREE NEWS. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, MARICELA. WELL, IF YOU’RE DRIVING, YOU’LL HAVE TO PAY FOR GAS, OBVIOUSLY, UNLESS YOU’VE GOT AN EV. AND HERE’S A LOOK AT PRICES RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN ALSO SCAN THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN. TRIPLE A SAYS THAT THE NATIONAL AVERAGE RIGHT NOW IS 309 A GALLON. THAT’S FOR REGULAR. THAT’S A FEW CENTS MORE THAN WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR. WE’RE PAYING MORE HERE IN CALIFORNIA FOR 63
As Thanksgiving travel begins, here are tips for Sacramento residents
Updated: 6:52 PM PST Nov 21, 2025
With Thanksgiving next week, some travelers are getting a jump start on their holiday journey on Friday. Travelers leaving from the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving are advised to plan ahead, as road trips are expected to be lengthy while air travel is anticipated to be lighter than usual.AAA conducted a study from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, expecting the drive to take more than two hours, so those planning to travel on Interstate 80 should be prepared.For those flying, air travel in California will be much lighter, with around 1.1 million passengers. At Sacramento International Airport, a spokesperson said they will be fully staffed next week and encouraged travelers to use rideshare services to reach the airport.”I just didn’t want to travel the weekend. It’s more expensive,” said Desiree Lee, explaining her travel strategy. The lower cost also appealed to Itzylay Saucedo. “Friday was cheaper and then Saturday and Sunday, I feel like it’d be more crowded. My aunt just dropped us off because we thought there would be a lot of cars and stuff like that,” Saucedo said. Travelers who plan to park at SMF should be aware that it could take up to an hour from the moment they park to the time they reach their terminal. The West Economy lot will be open if needed, adding an additional 3,000 spaces.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
With Thanksgiving next week, some travelers are getting a jump start on their holiday journey on Friday.
Travelers leaving from the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving are advised to plan ahead, as road trips are expected to be lengthy while air travel is anticipated to be lighter than usual.
AAA conducted a study from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, expecting the drive to take more than two hours, so those planning to travel on Interstate 80 should be prepared.
For those flying, air travel in California will be much lighter, with around 1.1 million passengers. At Sacramento International Airport, a spokesperson said they will be fully staffed next week and encouraged travelers to use rideshare services to reach the airport.
“I just didn’t want to travel the weekend. It’s more expensive,” said Desiree Lee, explaining her travel strategy.
The lower cost also appealed to Itzylay Saucedo.
“Friday was cheaper and then Saturday and Sunday, I feel like it’d be more crowded. My aunt just dropped us off because we thought there would be a lot of cars and stuff like that,” Saucedo said.
Travelers who plan to park at SMF should be aware that it could take up to an hour from the moment they park to the time they reach their terminal.
The West Economy lot will be open if needed, adding an additional 3,000 spaces.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel