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Last-Minute Travelers Happy They Adjusted Plans

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel weekends across the country. And with snow Wednesday, a lot of people adjusted their travel plans and then hit the roads Thursday.

Megan McCorkell has more from those last-minute travelers.

Drivers say they are glad they changed their plans to avoid the mess Wednesday.

With last night's snow and ice, some holiday travelers opted to delay their trip for the smooth sailing roads of Thanksgiving Day.

"The Weather Channel was kind of scary yesterday talking about the I-95 corridor saying that it was going to be pretty bad," said Maurice Atkinson. "So we postponed it and left early this morning."

A decision many drivers say was the right one.

"They've been fine, no problems at all," Lisa Weaver said. "They're clear. Easy going."

Those that did brave the elements Wednesday had a pretty rough ride. Wind restrictions on the Bay Bridge led to a seven-mile backup.

"I came from Philadelphia to Virginia yesterday. It took nine hours," Victoria Greblowski said.

It was a similar story at BWI Airport, where the flight board was filled with delays Wednesday.

"Too many people, too many delays," Mark Hannahs said. "You're all getting this weather now. It's going to just create havoc."

Many airlines relaxed change policies to allow passengers to fly Thursday to avoid the snow.

An estimated 46.3 million Americans are traveling over the holiday weekend. AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts about 983,000 Marylanders will head out of town.

"By in large, it appears that Americans and Marylanders here in particular really have an urge to get away for this Thanksgiving holiday," said AAA spokesperson Ragina Cooper Averella.

Now that everyone is sitting down at the Thanksgiving table, it's time to gear up for Sunday, when most will head back home.

AAA recommends drivers heading back to Maryland travel at off-pear hours -- before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

More than 550 flights were canceled nationwide Wednesday, many of them in the northeast due to the snow.

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