3 months ago
CHICAGO (AP) -- Getting an early jump on Thanksgiving hasn't meant a trip to the airport today for a lot of Americans who might normally fly. Trains and cars are the choice of many people whose household budgets have been hit hard by the struggling economy. Cathy Smith, an 18-year-old waiting to catch a bus from Kentucky to Tennessee, says a flight home was too expensive this year. Julie Bennink of Chicago says some unexpected bills meant she couldn't afford renting a car and buying gas for the three-hour drive to family dinner in Grand Rapids, Mich. So instead, her plan is to take a 15-minute city bus ride to a friend's house. At the airports, passengers are often finding shorter lines and smaller crowds than in past years on the day before Thanksgiving.
