Best and worst times to travel for July 4th around NYC area. When to hit the road this week.

NEW YORK — The 4th of July holiday travel rush is here, with 60.6 million people expected to drive and 5.7 million expected to fly on Wednesday alone. 

Prepare for heavy traffic on the roads, air traffic control issues at the airport, plus, we’re tracking thunderstorms that could scramble plans altogether. 

“We are predicting record travel, up 5 percent from last year, well over pre-pandemic in 2019. So whether you’re flying or driving, you’re going to have plenty of company out there,” AAA Managing Director of Public and Government Affairs, Alec Slatky told CBS New York.

When are the best & worst times to travel for July 4th?

AAA suggests hitting the road before noon and avoiding any time between 2 and 7 p.m. 

The agency said the best times to travel by car will be around 10 a.m., just after the morning commute.

“If you can leave just after the morning commute, maybe leaving at 10 a.m., that’s a good time,” said Slatky. “Or maybe you leave at 7 or 8-o-clock at night. But, of course, if you’re taking a long trip, we don’t want you driving while you’re falling asleep.”

The worst times to travel by car will be during the evening commute on Wednesday, then mid-day Friday and Saturday. 

• Wednesday 7/3: Best before noon | Worst between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Thursday 7/4: Best before noon | Worst between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Friday 7/5: Best before 10 a.m. | Worst between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Saturday 7/6: Best before 10 a.m. | Worst between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Making sure you’re ready for the road

Your holiday travel checklist should include some emergency supplies and preparations to ensure a safe trip. 

• Emergency / first aid kit
• Jumper cables
• Water
• Snacks
• Medications

Check your tire pressure and oil tank before hitting the road, and make sure to secure any car seats or loose items that could move around. 

Leave extra space between other vehicles, and watch for drunk or impaired drivers, who account for about 40% of 4th of July-related fatalities. 

July 4th at the airport: Check your flight status

This is the busiest time of the summer travel season at local airports, made worse by this week’s storms and ongoing air traffic control staffing issues. 

Travelers should be prepared for delays and disruptions.

“As you’re getting close to a holiday period, a lot of people are taking vacation, so that drops the staffing levels even lower at a time of peak travel,” said Peter Greenberg, CBS News’ travel editor.

One passenger on a delayed flight told CBS New York’s Tim McNicholas what the pilot said on the flight he was on. 

“He’s like, got about 30 or 40 in front of us, so it may actually be a while,” Dieter Unrath said. 

Unrath said he sat on the plane for for more than two hours before it finally took off. He later learned the FAA was limiting air traffic at Newark because they didn’t have enough air traffic controllers working. 

“It’s obviously a kink in the system if this is happening, and it is, like, a busy travel week. But you’d think the infrastructure would be equipped to handle a busy travel week, especially since we’ve been doing it for decades and decades,” Unrath said. 

Nationwide, the FAA faces a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers, but the agency says that’s only to blame for about 1% of all flight delays, and that the biggest cause of delays is weather. New York is especially hit hard by the shortage, with one of its main air traffic control facilities staffed at just 59%. 

Wednesday, an FAA spokesperson said they were also short-staffed for the evening at Newark. 

Passengers at Newark were not pleased. 

“I’m concerned with the delays,” traveler Anir Elbanna said. “It’s so many passengers more than the airport can handle, so, yeah, I’m really concerned about it. So I hope it gets better.” 

Unrath hopes his return trip will go “a little bit smoother.” 

The shortage caused the Federal Aviation Administration to slow air traffic and delay flights at the airport Tuesday, for a third day in a row. 

Check with your airline for individual flight information, and use the following links for airport updates:

The FAA says staffing-related delays are rare across the country, accounting for less than 1% of all flight delays, but the New York area has been hit especially hard by the shortages, as it is home to one of the most complex airspaces.  

Elijah Westbrook

Elijah Westbrook is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. He joined CBS2 News and CBS News New York in January 2022.