A record number of people are expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA estimates.
AAA is project Nearly 80 million people, specifically 79.9 million people, will travel at least 80 miles over the Thanksgiving holiday. This forecast runs from Tuesday, November 26th to Monday, December 2nd.
If the forecast holds true, the number of U.S. travelers could reach up to 78.18 million, exceeding the 2023 figure, which reflects an overall increase of 2.1%.
According to the forecast, most Americans (71.74 million) are expected to travel by car, followed by 5.84 million by air and 2.28 million by other means. For comparison, 71.74 million people used the roads, which equates to 1.3 million more travelers than last year.
AAA identified the worst daily car travel times during the Thanksgiving holiday period to be the afternoon of Monday the 25th, the afternoon of Tuesday the 26th, and the afternoon of Wednesday the 27th. The best time to travel during this time is in the morning.
The worst travel times after Thanksgiving are Friday the 29th from 7am to 10am, Saturday the 30th from 4pm to 8pm, and Sunday the 1st from 12pm to 6pm . 2nd Monday of the month from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
More information via AAA:
By Air: Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to set new records. AAA predicts that 5.84 million people will fly domestically during this holiday. This is a 2% increase compared to last year and nearly 11% increase compared to 2019. Air travelers are paying 3% more for domestic flights this Thanksgiving, but the number of ticket reservations is similar to last year, according to AAA reservations data. . International flight bookings are up 23% compared to last Thanksgiving. This was partly due to a 5% drop in international airfares.
Alternative modes of transportation: Nearly 2.3 million people are expected to travel using other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. This category is up approximately 9% compared to last year and 18% compared to 2019, primarily due to the popularity of cruising. Demand for cruises has skyrocketed post-pandemic. Bookings for domestic and international cruises were up 20% compared to last Thanksgiving.
Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement that Thanksgiving is “the busiest holiday for travelers, and this year we expect new records to be set in everything from driving to flying to cruising.” “
“Americans are reuniting with family and friends over Thanksgiving, and travel is a big part of that. At AAA, travel demand continues to surge post-pandemic, and our members are looking forward to new adventures and memorable vacations. I’m asking for it,” she added.
According to a recent survey, the majority of Americans (81%) expect: celebrate This year's Thanksgiving.
