Amtrak sees spike in riders traveling for Thanksgiving

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- As people across the country anticipate reuniting with their loved ones for Thanksgiving, travel is top of mind.

AAA is expecting more than 80 million travelers to get behind the wheel.

Freeways are already packed in Merced. With the FAA calling it the biggest airline travel season in 15 years, some North Valley residents are ditching both the road and the airport, opting instead for Amtrak.

More than a million people are expected to travel by train.

Thomas Canty is one of the many UC Merced students heading home for the holidays.

"It's a really inconvenient way to travel in my opinion, I don't really like driving the full eight hours, the traffic is a nightmare, especially during the holiday times," he says.

After years of driving back to San Diego for Thanksgiving, Canty says the train makes more sense. "This ended up being more of an economical option. The prices were reasonable and I'd rather pay for the convenience of being able to sit and work."

As Canty was boarding, Los Banos native Eddie Esparza hopped off the Amtrak after his trip from Los Angeles.

Esparza says he's been taking advantage of the train for years, but he's never seen it as busy as it was on Wednesday. "This train, actually, they kept saying it was sold out, and it was pretty packed and people coming in, some people were gonna be standing cause it was pretty packed today."

Amtrak reports that 81% of trips will go further than 250 miles. Ken Lanteigne and his wife Leslie are a part of that equation, making their first trip to Yosemite National Park, all the way from Portland, Oregon.

While their holiday celebration may look different compared to many others,

Their excitement to spend time with a loved one is just as big. "And we get to hike! We get to hike on Thanksgiving! What's better than that?"