Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Americans gassed up their cars and toted luggage and families to airports Wednesday, coping with crowds, traffic tie-ups and snow in the dash to get home in time for Thanksgiving turkey.

CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports that the highest Thanksgiving gas prices ever aren't expected to keep travelers from driving either. As one traveler put it, "Grandma doesn't care how much it costs to fill up or how long it takes to get there."

Gasoline at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike was $2.17 a gallon, reports CBS News correspondent Steve Kathan. "That's up about a quarter from last Thanksgiving, but it feels like a price break for many drivers, who were shelling out $3 a gallon just a few months ago."

Snow fell across parts of the Midwest, but Kate Kehoe wasn't too worried about her trip of about 55 miles from Ann Arbor to Flint, Mich.

"I'm glad gas is not $3 anymore," the preschool teacher said as she filled her tank.

AAA said more than 37 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday weekend, undeterred by expensive gasoline, rental cars and hotel rooms. The association, citing a telephone survey, said the number of Thanksgiving travelers is up 0.8 percent from last year.

The Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, predicted 21.7 million people would fly on U.S. airlines from Nov. 19 to Nov. 29, slightly more than last year's record number.

"Air fares are up probably roughly $40 ... since last February, but that hasn't deterred people," Terry Trippler, an airline analyst with CheapSeats.com, told AP Radio.

If you're flying, you have lots to think about: what to pack — and leave behind — what to wear and how early to get to the airport.

"One look at LaGuardia airport you have to wonder why anyone wants to travel today and especially fly," said Alfonsi on CBS News' The Early Show. "An hour to get your ticket and luggage through, another hour through security. The place is packed."

Alfonsi then boarded a plane from New York to Miami — which was delayed.

Officials at Detroit Metro Airport were advising travelers to arrive two to three hours before their flights, but Ron Dewey of CBS radio station WWJ-AM reports travelers were taking heed.

Tight security, new technology and airlines' financial woes are making air travel more complicated than ever this Thanksgiving, when many travelers take their one big trip of the year.

To compound the problem, more people are flying and fewer planes are being added to the mix, reports Alfonsi. Typically, about 70 percent of seats are filled. This year, it's more like 95 percent.

For the infrequent flyer, there's much to remember even before leaving home. There's the Transportation Security Administration's list of items that can't go into the passenger cabin, such as scissors, small knives and cigarette lighters.

Light snow during the morning caused no problems for airlines at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, which expected nearly 2 million passengers during the holiday weekend, said Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Wendy Abrams.

In Indiana, however, the snow contributed to numerous rush hour wrecks. No serious injuries were reported.

"It's the first snowfall of the year and people don't have the winter habits yet," said state Trooper Robert Brophy at Fort Wayne, Ind.

Snow showers fell as far south as North Carolina, where Mount Mitchell had collected 10 inches overnight, and winter storm watches were in effect through Thursday evening for sections of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland and northern New England, the National Weather Service said.

Fog was the culprit in Idaho, stranding would-be travelers in Boise. "It's a game of wait and see with an extreme dose of patience," said Larissa Stouffer, marketing director for Boise Airport.

For hundreds of motorists, the day started with a miles-long traffic jam on Washington's Capital Beltway after a gasoline tanker truck exploded north of the city on Interstate 95.

The Maryland State Highway Administration says the final two southbound lanes at the scene of the tanker truck explosion re-opened around 1:30.

The trouble began around 4:30 this morning, when the rig with nearly nine-thousand gallons of gas caught fire. Boyor Chew, who was behind the wheel, says he realized a back wheel was on fire, but no one would let him move over to the right. When he finally made it to the shoulder, he ran for it before the compartments blew up one at a time.

Firefighters evacuated people from nearby cars and allowed the flames to burn themselves out. No one was hurt, but the damage was done on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Other roads, including the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and U.S. One, were jammed.

Some travelers at Miami International Airport said conditions were surprisingly normal. "So far so good," said Miami resident Rosemarie Wilder, 61, heading to Atlanta with her daughter and granddaughter.

But people who weren't accustomed to Miami International didn't share her opinion. "It's like a hurricane," Martha Bittencourt, 54, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, waiting for a flight to visit friends in Tennessee.

The check-in area at Detroit Metropolitan Airport's McNamara Terminal was practically vacant Wednesday morning.

"This is the fewest I've ever seen in the airport, let alone for a holiday weekend," Chris Spangler of Ypsilanti said after checking his bags for a flight to Richmond, Va.

Detroit airport spokesman Michael Conway said advance booking data showed that more people were flying to Detroit than from it for Thanksgiving.

Amtrak put an extra 60 trains in service this week in the Northeast Corridor, but many trains were already sold out, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black told AP Radio.

Traffic was up at Dallas-based Greyhound Lines Inc., spokeswoman Anna Folmnsbee, although she said she didn't have passenger figures because most people buy their tickets on a walk-up basis.