Get ready to find roads and airports packed with thousands of other travelers as the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend is expected to be the second busiest in 24 years.
This is just a consequence of experiencing the busiest year for travel in the last two decades, with around 43.8 million passengers, AAA has revealed.
As for cruise travel, the industry will also break records with around 35 million passengers in 2024, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
From May 23 through May 28, airline travel will increase by 5%. American Airlines is scheduled to have its busiest Memorial Day Weekend of all time, with over 500,000 passengers. For its part, Delta will transport at least 3 million travelers, an increase of 5% from 2023.
AAA forecasts 3.51 million air travelers this weekend, 4.8% more than in 2023.
This will be the most crowded holiday at airports since 2005, when 3.64 million Americans passed through customs.
This year, airfare will only increase 1% to 2% over 2023.
But not all Americans are flying. 38.4 million people will travel by car, an increase of 4% over 2023. Fortunately for them, gas prices have remained stable since last year.
In addition, 1.9 million holidaymakers will use other means of transport including buses and trains.
“We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel.
The busiest hours on the roads will go from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day. So, we recommend you hit the road before midday to avoid traffic jams.
“Travel times are expected to be up to 90% longer than normal. Travelers should stay up to date on traffic apps, 511 services, and local news stations to avoid sitting in traffic longer than necessary,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.
Airlines are predicted to have their busiest day on Thursday.
Regarding destinations, Americans will head to Orlando, Seattle, and New York for domestic travel and Rome, Vancouver and London for international trips.
Other popular destination hotspots include Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale and Miami for those who will stay in the country and Paris, Barcelona and Edinburgh for those traveling overseas.
As per the hottest travel trends, AAA has identified: “solo travel, especially for women,” “high-end cruises,” exotic trips to places such as Antarctica, Africa, and the South Pacific and “travel to Asia.”