AAA expects record-setting travel numbers during the upcoming holiday week for Thanksgiving.
Over 2.3 million Georgians are forecast to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday. AAA's recent study reports that it would be all-time high for Thanksgiving and nearly 40,000 more travelers than last year.
National travel numbers are also expected to set new records, with an estimated 79.9 million travelers. The 2% growth is 1.7 million more people than the previous year's record set and 2 million more than in 2019.
Economic growth, declining inflation, and strong income gains, which are expected to boost consumer spending by 4.6% compared to last year, are believed to be the largest contributing factors.
Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group says, “We expect to see record travel numbers across the board. With more people taking to the roads, skies, rails, and sea, travelers should expect congested roads and longer lines at transportation terminals. AAA encourages travelers to develop their plan now and consider travel insurance, which compensates for flight cancellations, delays, and lost luggage.”
Also, another factor could be that AAA expanded the number of days in the Thanksgiving holiday travel period to capture the flow of holiday travelers. Instead of Wednesday-Sunday, this year’s Thanksgiving holiday travel period is seven days, stretching from Tuesday, November 26 to Monday, December 2.
According to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, there are more opportunistic times to travel for the holiday week:
- The worst times to travel by car over Thanksgiving are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
- The best time to hit the road is Thanksgiving Day when interstates and highways are typically clear.
- Drivers returning home on Sunday should leave early in the morning, and those returning on Monday should expect a mix of travelers and work commuters on the road.
Not only is travel along the roadways expected to reach all-time Thanksgiving holiday record numbers, but AAA is also expected to see a new record for air travel. Nationally, AAA projects that 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday. That’s an increase of 2% compared to last year and a nearly 11% increase over 2019. Atlanta is considered among the top-10 domestic destinations for the Thanksgiving travel period, and officials expect extended wait times and delays at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's parking locations and through TSA security checkpoints.
More information can be found by going to the AAA's website, located here.
