A record number of people are expected to travel within the US for Thanksgiving, whether by plane, train, or automobile.
Nearly 82 million are expected to travel at least 50 miles from November 25 to December 1, an increase of 1.6 million people compared to last year’s holiday, according to a AAA report released on Monday.
Most of them will hit the road by car, with about 73.2 million people expected to drive, AAA said. This represents 1.8% more car travelers compared to the 2024 holiday period.
AAA projects 6 million people traveling domestically by air for the holiday, a 2% increase from last year. However, due to concerns over recent flight delays and cancellations, AAA also said this number could dip slightly if travelers make last-minute bookings for other modes of transportation. Staffing shortages during the prolonged government shutdown earlier this month resulted in mass flight disruptions.
The FAA revoked its directive calling for an emergency reduction in flights, allowing airlines to resume normal operations. Aviation experts warned that it may take some time for flights to return to normal, but industry leaders appeared confident that airline operations would return to pre-shutdown normal levels in time for the Thanksgiving travel rush. Weather forecasts framing the holiday in some parts of the country could cause disruptions and delays in flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday that it expects the impending holiday rush to be the busiest Thanksgiving air travel period in 15 years, with Tuesday being the busiest flight day.
Travel by other modes of transportation — bus, train, and cruise — is expected to increase 8.5% this year, with a likely uptick in last-minute bus and train bookings.
“People are willing to brave the crowds and make last-minute adjustments to their plans to create lifelong memories, whether visiting distant family or meeting up with friends,” said Stacey Barber, AAA vice president of Travel, in a statement on Monday.
Here’s what else you need to know:
Driving in the afternoon? Think again
Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons are expected to be the most congested times for drivers in major metropolitan areas, according to INRIX, a transportation analytics company.
If driving, the best times to hit the road for the holiday will be before noon on Tuesday and at 11 a.m. on Wednesday to avoid traffic jams, according to the company. Thanksgiving Day will have minimal impacts on highway traffic.
When returning home after the holiday, travelers are advised to start driving before noon on any day except Monday. The Sunday after Thanksgiving will likely have heavy traffic for most of the day, and the best time to travel on Monday will be after 8 p.m., INRIX said.
The weather may be bad, but it should improve for the return trip
During peak travel times from Monday to Wednesday, rains stretching from southern Texas to Minnesota will move across the country to the east, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
“Monday to Tuesday will likely be a bit problematic anywhere in Texas, east of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and northwest Louisiana,” said Bob Oravec, the NWS lead forecaster, to NPR.
On Thanksgiving Day, things will be a bit drier across the US. Temperatures will be colder than average for most of the country on Thanksgiving morning, with central parts of the US recording temperatures in the 50s. On Black Friday, there will be above-average temperatures from the Great Plains to the West Coast, with places like Denver, Colo., recording temperatures in the 60s, Oravec said.
Some of the worst weather conditions will be across much of the central and eastern US, where lake-effect snow from the Great Lakes will occur, Oravec said.
For holiday travelers heading home on Friday and Saturday, the weather should be decent for a large portion of the country, he said. But a storm system is expected to develop over the weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, the system could bring heavy snow to western Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, as well as parts of Minnesota to Wisconsin, according to Oravec. On Sunday, from Texas to Missouri and Illinois, the chances of rain are expected to increase.
Source: npr.org by Chandelis Duster