The AAA projects more than 42.3 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home this Memorial Day weekend which is a 7% increase over 2022.
According to a AAA press release, more than 2.7 million people will travel for the unofficial start of summer compared to 2022.
“This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, in a press release. “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”
Nearly 3.4 million travelers are projected to fly Memorial Day Weekend to their destinations, which is an increase of 11% over last year. Air travel this weekend is expected to exceed pre-COVID 19 levels, with 170,000 more passengers. Demand for flights is skyrocketing despite high ticket prices. AAA says Memorial Day weekend could be the busiest for airports since 2005.
Memorial Day road trips will be up 6% over last year as 37.1 million Americans are projected to drive to their destinations, an increase of more than 2 million. Last year the national average was more than $4.50 per gallon of gas. As of May 18, the cost is $3.53. Car travel will still be shy of pre-pandemic numbers by about 500,000 travelers.
More people this holiday are taking other modes of transportation, like buses and trains. These travelers are expected to total 1.85 million, an increase of 20.6% over 2022.