It's as much a part of Thanksgiving as the turkey -- the travel.
But this year's trip seems to pack an extra punch: the threat of picking up H1N1 on board a crowded plane.
"I don't think we're very worried. The kids are in school every day, and we're exposed to lots of people, and we travel a lot," said Missy McDonald, as her family prepared to fly to Ann Arbor, MI, for the holiday.
The H1N1 threat may not have grounded the McDonald family, but airlines warn it should keep others off planes, particularly those who may pose a risk to fellow passengers.
"If they're feeling too ill to get in the plane, then definitely you might want to think about staying at home and postponing travel to a later date to when you feel better," said Paul Flaningan, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines.
Airlines have developed their own policies for dealing with the challenge of passengers suffering from H1N1. Southwest Airlines won't charge a fee to an ailing passenger looking to postpone his or her trip. United Airlines and Delta and Northwest Airlines also won't charge for a postponed trip -- provided the passenger has a doctor's note. Regular fare rules do apply for those flying American Airlines. In other words, you may be charged to change your flight, depending on your fare. Airlines also reserve the right to deny boarding to a passenger showing obvious signs of a contagious illness.
But overall -- airlines want passengers to heed their own health and stay at home if necessary. And they're not alone.
"A sick person should not be around other people," said Dr. Frank Rhame, an Infectious Disease Expert with Allina Hospitals.
Rhame says even those traveling on the road may need to cancel their holiday plans if they want to keep their family healthy. Beyond a gathering of a wide variety of ages, Rhames says the family holiday can also bring together people from around the country.
"Although our H1N1 season is beginning to wane, there are other parts of the country where it's ramping up. There are other parts where it's hardly started. So if you mix people from all those different parts, you can't just do what we would do here, which is take comfort from the fact it's beginning to ramp down," he said.
Rhame recommends people with a fever of over 101 degrees simply stay home to prevent the spread of what could be H1N1.
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