AAA: Nearly 80M Americans expected to travel over Thanksgiving
AAA projects 79.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
For the first time, AAA’s forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers. 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.
“The holiday season will reflect the robust trends that we have enjoyed throughout the year,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central. “Our forecast indicates more Americans are looking for new adventures and memorable vacations as a way to reconnect with family and friends.”
Thanksgiving Travelers By Mode
• By Car: AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car over Thanksgiving – an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses pre-pandemic numbers when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019.
Gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to 2023. The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. Regionally, drivers east of the Rockies will find gas between $2.25 to $2.50 a gallon in more than a dozen states.
AAA car rental partner Hertz says Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando and Phoenix are the cities displaying the highest rental demand for the Thanksgiving holiday. The busiest car pick-up day is expected to be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the busiest rental return days will be the Monday and Tuesday after the holiday.
• By Air: Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to set a record. AAA projects 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday. That’s an increase of two percent compared to last year and a nearly 11-percent increase over 2019.
According to AAA booking data, air travelers are paying three-percent more for domestic Thanksgiving flights this year. International flight bookings are up 23 percent compared to last Thanksgiving, in part because the cost to fly internationally is down five percent.
• By Other Modes: Nearly 2.3 million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises and trains. This category is seeing an increase of almost 9 percent compared to last year and an 18 percent jump over 2019, in large part due to the popularity of cruising. The demand for cruises has been red-hot post-pandemic. Domestic and international cruise bookings are up 20 percent compared to last Thanksgiving.
AAA’s Top Thanksgiving Destinations
The common theme among the top 10 domestic destinations is “warm weather.” Four Florida cities are on the list because of their beaches, theme parks and cruise ports. Other top destinations include New York, California, Hawaii and Las Vegas.
Internationally, Europe and the Caribbean dominate the list thanks to their beach resorts, tourist attractions and river cruises.
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 69 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members. Follow AAA on Twitter and Facebook.
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