AAA: Thanksgiving travel to near pre-pandemic levels

AAA predicts that 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving. This is an increase of 1.5% over 2021 and 98% of pre-pandemic volumes.

This year is expected to be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel since AAA began tracking in 2000*. For the purposes of these forecasts, the Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Wednesday, November 23 through Sunday, November 27.

“People can’t wait to get back to making memories with family and friends this Thanksgiving,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central. “Nearly pre-pandemic traveler levels will lead to heavy traffic congestion and busy airports. Motorists should plan their journey strategically, with plenty of patience for the ride or the flight,” she added.

Most travelers (nearly 49 million people) are expected to travel by car. While Thanksgiving car trips edged up 0.4% from 2021, car trips remain 2.5% below 2019 levels.

Air travel is up nearly 8% from 2021, with 4.5 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year. This is an increase of more than 330,000 travelers and almost 99% of the volume of 2019. Americans are also increasing travel by other modes of transport. More than 1.4 million travelers leave the city for Thanksgiving by bus, train or cruise ship. That’s a 23% increase from 2021 and 96% from 2019 volume.