MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - The cost of airfare is up but that's not stopping holiday travelers. AAA expects nearly 5.4 million people to hit the friendly skies this holiday season.
AAA says it's a combination of fewer flights and less availability that is making this this a more expensive Christmas for passengers.
Richard Coyne is trying to get from Memphis to the UK for Christmas, but his checked bag is overweight. "I'm moving stuff from one bag to another," he says, "we are a bit over weight." It's not how Coyne expected to begin his holiday weekend.
Most travelers are planning how to get from point A to point B without having to make a stop like Coyne's.
Deneen Aceto is traveling to New York with her two daughters, "So far so good." She says, "No lines. It's quick. Now we're just hoping to get through security."
Jeff Williamson checked all his bags except his laptop, "To me, the less you have to carry through there seems to be easier," he says.
Angela Allen has other things on her mind: her three kids at home in Des Moines, Iowa and the one she's leaving at St. Jude. The decision to leave her 4-year-old son with his grandmother and the St. Jude staff on Christmas was difficult. "It was," she continued as tears filled her eyes, "Being with the other kids is going to be important but you'll miss the one here."
She's been away from her family for a month, caring for her son. This holiday trip is one she never hopes to repeat. So this year in the airport she dreams about next year. "We're all home." She imagines, "No more treatments, just to be together as family."
