Remember last year’s Memorial Day travel jams? Chances are they will be much worse this year

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Airlines Writer

Highways and airports are likely to be jammed in the coming days as Americans head out on and home from Memorial Day weekend getaways. AAA predicts this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years with 43.8 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday. The Transportation Security Administration says up to 3 million people may pass through airport checkpoints on Friday alone. That’s just a start. U.S. airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. The national expression of wanderlust is happening at a time when Americans tell pollsters they are worried about the economy and the direction of the country.