Anticipated Multitude of Car Journeys, Air Travel, and Traffic during Thanksgiving Break

Anticipated Multitude of Car Journeys, Air Travel, and Traffic during Thanksgiving Break

Record-Breaking Thanksgiving Travel Forecast for 2024

Nearly 80 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving in 2024, marking a significant increase from the previous year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to AAA Travel [1][2].

The expanded travel forecast for Thanksgiving 2024 includes travel starting on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and continuing through the Monday afterward, reflecting the evolving flow of holiday trips.

Car travel will dominate, with 71.7 million people driving, surpassing the 2019 record of 70.6 million by nearly 1 million people [2]. Warm-weather destinations, such as Florida cities, Hawaii, and Las Vegas, are popular choices for domestic travelers.

Air travel is also expected to increase, with about 5.8 million domestic flyers, a 2% increase from 2023 and 11% above 2019 levels [2]. Metro areas like Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and DC are expected to experience doubled congestion during peak times.

For post-holiday returns, hitting the road early Sunday or Monday morning is best. Wednesday pre-Thanksgiving and the Monday-Tuesday post-holiday will be the busiest rental days for Thanksgiving travel in 2024. Rental cars will be in high demand, with Atlanta, Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando, and Phoenix being the top pickup spots, according to Hertz.

Buses and cruises are experiencing a 9% increase in travel compared to 2023 and an 18% increase compared to 2019. Cruising has rebounded with a 20% spike in bookings, driven especially by younger and leisure travelers.

Internationally, Europe and the Caribbean hold strong appeal for travelers seeking sandy shores and cultural exploration. Lower gas prices may dip below $3/gallon nationally for the first time since 2021, with some states seeing prices between $2.25-$2.50 per gallon.

Traffic data from INRIX suggests avoiding Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for travel. Thanksgiving Day itself is ideal for travel, as it is expected to be less congested.

Stacey Barber, VP of AAA Travel, stated that Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel and that post-pandemic demand for adventure and family reunions is still growing. The Thanksgiving period now spans from November 26 to December 2 to capture extended travel patterns.

Air travel is forecasted to set a new Thanksgiving record in 2024, with 5.84 million people taking to the skies, a 2% uptick over last year and an 11% leap from 2019. Domestic airfare is up 3% for Thanksgiving travel in 2024, while international travel is seeing a surge, partly driven by a 5% drop in overseas ticket prices and increased demand.

The holiday forecast is developed with S&P Global Market Intelligence using macroeconomic data, travel trends, and surveys to project travel volumes.

[1] AAA News Release: [Link to News Release] [2] AAA Thanksgiving Travel Forecast: [Link to Forecast] [3] Airlines for America: [Link to Air Travel Forecast]

In light of the record-breaking Thanksgiving travel forecast for 2024, many travelers are planning to incorporate travel into their lifestyle, with warm-weather destinations such as Florida cities, Hawaii, and Las Vegas being popular choices. Furthermore, air travel is forecasted to set a new Thanksgiving record, indicating an increasing trend of travel in people's lifestyles.

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