AAA projects that 79.9 million travelers will travel 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 holiday travelers. This year’s projection of nearly 80 million travelers represents 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 across the board, from driving to flying and cruising,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of Travel at AAA. “Americans gather with family and friends on Thanksgiving, and traveling is part of that. AAA continues to see travel demand soar post-pandemic, with our members seeking new adventures and memorable vacations.”
• By Car: AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car on Thanksgiving Day – that’s an increase of 1.3 million travelers on the roads compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses pre-pandemic figures, when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019.
• By Plane: Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to hit record highs. AAA projects that 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday. That’s a 2% increase from last year and nearly 11% more than in 2019. According to AAA’s booking data, air travelers are paying 3% more for domestic Thanksgiving flights this year, while the number of flight bookings is similar to last year. International flight bookings are 23% above 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 sees an increase of nearly 9% compared to last year and an 18% jump over 2019, largely due to the popularity of cruises. Demand for cruises has been extremely high post-pandemic. Domestic and international cruise bookings are 20% above last Thanksgiving.
Source: AAA