MOOSIC, Pa. — Editor's Note: The video above is from Thanksgiving 2023.
Every year a great migration of Americans takes place over the Thanksgiving holiday as people gather, visit family and friends, and take trips. This year though, AAA expects Thanksgiving travel records to be broken.
According to AAA nearly 80 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving holiday. For the first time projections will include the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day.
The projection is an increase of 1.7 million travelers compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019. More than 71 million people are expected to travel by road, 5.8 million by air, and more than 2.2 million will travel by other methods like cruises, bus, and rail.
“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we’re expecting to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. “Americans reconnect with family and friends over Thanksgiving, and travel is a big part of that. AAA continues to see travel demand soar post-pandemic with our members looking for new adventures and memorable vacations.”
Gas prices are dropping ahead of the holiday. Compared to last year, gas was already down from $3.26 to $3.07 a gallon as of November 18. AAA even said the national average may fall below $3 a gallon ahead of the holiday, forecasting gas prices east of the Rockies will hover between $2.25 and $2.50 a gallon in more than a dozen states.
Thanksgiving air travel is expected to set a new record. AAA projects that more than 5.8 million people will fly over the holiday, an increase of 2% compared to last year and a nearly 11% jump over 2019 figures.
Domestic flights this year are, on average, 3% more expensive than last year, while bookings remain around the same. However, International flight bookings are up 23% compared to last year, AAA attributing that to a 5% decrease in the cost of international flights.
Cruises are also up 20% compared to last year since the pandemic. Demand for cruises has skyrocketed, with other forms of transportation other than flying or driving up 19% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
AAA partnered with INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, to estimate the best times to travel by car over Thanksgiving. They found that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving day are the best times to drive back. Post-Thanksgiving, Friday morning and in the afternoon over the weekend are the best times to drive back.
“With a record number of travelers expected to be on the road, drivers should follow traffic apps and local news alerts to avoid major delays,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “This is especially important for drivers in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and Washington, DC, where traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day.”
You can find a complete list of peak congestion times for major cities on the AAA website.