Almost 82 million Americans are anticipated to travel during the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA.
To be more precise, AAA estimates that around 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles between Tuesday, November 25th, and Monday, December 1st, which includes not just Thanksgiving Day on November 27th, but the entire holiday stretch.
For context, last year, AAA estimated 79.9 million were expected to travel, but about 80.2 million actually did.
If these projections are accurate, this Thanksgiving will witness the highest number of travelers in seven years. In 2019, there were 77.8 million travelers, but that number dropped dramatically to 56.8 million during the 2020 pandemic. The trend has since rebounded, rising from 73.6 million in 2021 to over 80 million last year.
“Thanksgiving travel figures are always remarkable because the holiday is all about gathering with family and friends,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel.
“Whether they’re visiting relatives or catching up with friends, people are ready to navigate busy environments and tweak their plans to make lasting memories,” she added.
AAA also shared some specifics, indicating that about 73 million travelers are expected to drive.
“…which accounts for nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers, reflecting an increase of 1.3 million over last year. This total could rise even further if some travelers opt for cars instead of flights, given the recent disruptions in air travel,” AAA reported.
In addition, it is estimated that 6.07 million will travel by air, while 2.48 million will fall into the “other” category, which encompasses buses, trains, and cruises.
These estimates were issued following the resolution of the Democratic government shutdown and amid rising worries over air travel, especially as more flights were expected to be canceled due to safety concerns linked to staffing shortages. However, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Sunday that the FAA has cleared the way for normal flight operations to resume after deploying additional air traffic controllers to manage air traffic efficiently.
