This year will mark the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel weekend as the number of Americans driving and flying hits 98% of pre-pandemic levels, AAA announced Tuesday.
The automobile owners club expects 54.6 million Americans to travel 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend, up 1.5% from last year. AAA has tracked Thanksgiving travel volume since 2000.
“Plan ahead and be prepared for backups and delays whether you’re driving or flying as the roads and airports are expected to both be busy this Thanksgiving season,” AAA mid-Atlantic spokesperson Ragina C. Ali said in a statement.
According to the AAA forecast, nearly 49 million Americans will drive to holiday destinations, up 0.4% from last year but still 2.5% below 2019 levels.
The group says air travel will be up nearly 8% over last year, with 4.5 million Americans flying this year.
With pandemic travel restrictions lifted, AAA expects an even sharper uptick in other modes of travel next week. It predicts 1.4 million travelers will leave town by bus, train, or cruise ship, up 23% from last year and 96% of 2019 travel volumes.
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Travelers with flexible schedules should “consider off-peak travel times” to avoid the crunch, Ms. Ali said.
In collaboration with AAA, transportation analytics company INRIX predicts highways in large metropolitan areas will see the worst congestion as drivers leave work early Wednesday afternoon to get a head start on the weekend.
Drivers in and around Atlanta, Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles will experience more than double their usual delays during that time.
To avoid the worst delays, INRIX recommends traveling early Wednesday or before 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The company suggests avoiding travel 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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