Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Xuaxo

With the Thanksgiving air travel crush just around the corner, President Bush has not only authorized commercial air traffic to use military airspace in order to alleviate possible overcrowding in the skies, but he’s planning to expand the number of air lanes available.

The Bush administration first authorized the so-called “Thanksgiving Express Lanes” last year, when it opened thousands of square miles of air space up and down the east coast that is normally reserved for military aircraft.

This year additional travel corridors will be added in the Midwest, the South and western parts of the United States for five days during the heaviest travel period.

The president said he made the move to “make travel easier” for Americans who may be worried about flight delays, lost luggage and other problems that come with too much traffic in the skies.

Though this may seem like an unnecessary move considering that the economy is struggling, airlines have cut capacity and fewer people are traveling overall, the number of Thanksgiving travelers is actually expected to stay at the same level as last year, according to a poll by Harris Interactive.

The poll does not specify whether folks will be using the same modes of transportation as last year (or possibly switching to something cheaper), but it found that 39 percent of Americans will be hitting the road, the same number that traveled last year. Of that 39 percent, 74 percent plan to travel 200 miles or less from home.

Though many travelers will no doubt be counting their pennies as they hit the road over the holidays, they told pollsters that it was a price worth paying in order to reconnect with friends and family and maintain traditions.

The Bush Administration is also working with the FAA and the TSA to increase staffing levels at airports over the long Thanksgiving weekend, in order to speed check-in and boarding times and prevent bottlenecks on the ground.

Click here for more tips and information about traveling for Thanksgiving.

By Karen Elowitt for PeterGreenberg.com