AAA projects that 79.9 million travelers will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. For the first time, AAA’s forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving to better capture the flow of travelers during the holiday weekend. This year’s projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we expect to set new records in every aspect, from driving to flying and cruising,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “Americans reconnect with family and friends on Thanksgiving, and traveling is a big part of that. AAA continues to see demand for travel soar after the pandemic, with our members seeking new adventures and memorable vacations.”
• By car: AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car this Thanksgiving— that’s 1.3 million more travelers on the road compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses pre-pandemic figures, when 70.6 million people drove to their destinations for Thanksgiving in 2019.
• By plane: Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to set a new record. AAA projects that 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday. This is a 2% increase compared to last year and nearly an 11% increase from 2019. According to AAA’s booking data, air travelers are paying 3% more for domestic flights this Thanksgiving, while the number of flight bookings is similar to last year. International flight bookings have increased by 23% compared to last Thanksgiving, partly because the cost of flying internationally has dropped by 5%.
• By other means: Nearly 2.3 million people are expected to travel by other means of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. This category is seeing an increase of nearly 9% compared to last year and an 18% jump from 2019, largely due to the popularity of cruises. Demand for cruises has been very high after the pandemic. Domestic and international cruise bookings have increased by 20% compared to last Thanksgiving.
Source: AAA