AAA unveils record number of trips for Memorial Weekend

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 result of it being the busiest travel year in the past two decades, with approximately 43.8 million passengers, AAA has revealed.

When it comes to cruise travel, the sector is also set to break records with approximately 35 million passengers in 2024. This is reported by the Cruise Lines International Association.

From May 23 to 28, air travel will increase by 5%. American Airlines is expected to have its busiest Memorial Day weekend of all time, with more than 500,000 passengers. Delta, in turn, will carry at least 3 million travelers, an increase of 5% compared to 2023.

AAA predicts 3.51 million air travelers this weekend, 4.8% more than in 2023.

This will be the busiest airport holiday since 2005, when 3.64 million Americans cleared customs.

This year, airline tickets will only increase by 1% to 2% compared to 2023.

But not all Americans fly. 38.4 million people will travel by car, an increase of 4% compared to 2023. Luckily 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 this in almost two decades,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel.

The busiest hours on the roads are on the Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day from noon to 7 p.m. We therefore recommend that you set off before noon to avoid traffic jams.

“Travel times are expected to be up to 90% longer than normal. Travelers should stay informed about traffic apps, 511 services and local news stations to avoid being stuck in traffic longer than necessary.” says Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.

Airlines are expected to have their busiest day on Thursday.

As for destinations, Americans go to Orlando, Seattle and New York for domestic travel and Rome, Vancouver and London for international travel.

Other popular destination hotspots include Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale and Miami for those who will be staying in the country, and Paris, Barcelona and Edinburgh for those traveling abroad.

Among the most popular travel trends, AAA has identified the following: “solo travel, especially for women,” “high-end cruises,” exotic trips to places like Antarctica, Africa and the South Pacific, and “travel to Asia.”