80 million mass travelers will hit the road this Thanksgiving, setting a record, AAA predicts

Millions of Americans are booking planes, trains and automobiles to gather around the table with loved ones this holiday season.

About 79.9 million travelers will go 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, the American Automobile Association predicts.

That’s an increase of 1.7 million people over last year and 2 million more than in 2019 for those traveling sometime between the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving, this year set for Thursday, November. 28.

“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we expect to set new records across the board, from driving to flying to cruising,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. `

“Americans reconnect with family and friends during Thanksgiving, and travel is a big part of that. AAA continues to see increased demand for post-pandemic travel with our members looking for new adventures and memorable vacations.”

But not everyone is booking a plane ticket.

A record 71.7 million people are expected to travel by car, which means an extra 1.3 million travelers will be on the road compared to last year.

This estimate even exceeds pre-COVID-19 figures.

One reason so many Americans may be loading up their cars this season is the price of gas, which has dropped from a national average of $3.26 last year to under $3 this time.

According to Hertz, those in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando and Phoenix are the most on the road as those cities reported the highest demand for Thanksgiving car rentals.

The worst traffic is expected to pick up before the holiday on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon as friends and family gather to prepare for the holidays.

Unless you need to start preparing too early, motorists should hit the road on Thanksgiving, when interstates and highways are usually clear.

“With record numbers of commuters expected to be on the road, drivers should follow traffic apps and local news to avoid major delays,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at analytics firm INRIX, advised in a statement.

“This is especially important for drivers in metropolitan areas such as Boston, New York, LA, Seattle and Washington, DC, where traffic is expected to be more than double what it usually is on a normal day.”

Those who don’t want to sit in traffic are all set to hit the skies as air travel is also expected to set a new record.

About 5.84 million people are expected to fly domestically this Thanksgiving season.

But the airports will not be much more crowded than last year.

That will be just a 2% increase over last year – but a nearly 11% increase from 2019.

A slight increase in airline ticket sales is likely because air travelers are paying 3% more for domestic flights this year.

Meanwhile, other modes of transport – including buses, cruises and trains – are more crowded.

About 2.3 million people are expected to hop on one of these ships to visit loved ones this Thanksgiving — an increase of nearly 9% over last year and an 18% jump over 2019.

The peak is mainly due to the increasing popularity of sea sailing.

Domestic and international cruise bookings are up 20% since last Thanksgiving as more companies announce new routes.

However, all travel could be drastically disrupted as New York and New Jersey brace for an impending winter storm.

Parts of New York and New Jersey could be surrounded by a winter storm within days as brutal weather threatens the country – and the travel plans of millions of Americans – just in time for the start of the Thanksgiving week.