Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Hopefully you’re reading this from the comfort of your home instead of from the road. This year there are a record 54.3 million people expected to travel more than 50 miles from home this year. That’s the highest total since 2005.
| Method of Transport | Number of Travelers (in millions) | Percentage increase from last year |
| Automobile | 48.5 | 5% |
| Airplane | 4.27 | 5.40% |
| Boat/Cruise | 1.48 | 1.40% |
According to AAA “Most travelers booked their flights for Thanksgiving between September 23 and October 25, paying an average ticket price of $478 roundtrip. Procrastinating travelers paying an average ticket price of $459. However, last-minute flight availability will likely be very limited.”
The top 10 destinations for thanksgiving in order are
- Orlando, Florida
- New York, New York
- Anaheim, California
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Cancun, Mexico
- Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Washington, DC
- Miami, Florida
The increase in traffic is largely due to a stable economy and cheaper gas prices. The weather so far has cooperated with one of the biggest travel periods of the year. Yesterday there were only 118 cancelled flights and around 3,900 delayed flights. About 1/2 of those coming out of San Francisco. Half way through the day today there have only been 43 cancellations and 543 delayed flights. Weather over the next couple days will be wet in the midwest and northeast but should be mostly rain rather than snow, which will hopefully lead to easy commutes home with fewer delays less cancellations.
Expect large numbers again during the holiday season, last year AAA reported 107,000,000 estimated travelers during the 9 day period from December 23 – January 1. Given the trend upwards it’s fair to say that this year will probably be greater than that.
Are you traveling this thanksgiving?
Feature Image via ABC News
Source: AAA Newsroom