AAA estimates American air travel to be up 5.4 percent this Thanksgiving
By Intelligent Aerospace staff
ORLANDO, Fla. – AAA estimates more than 54 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving, up nearly 5 percent from the previous year. Of those travelers, an estimated 4.27 million Americans will get to their destinations via airports . The vast majority of travelers will travel primarily by automobile, with AAA estimating 48.5 million travelers.
“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest holidays for road trips, and this year will be no different,” says Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic. Our advice to drivers is to avoid commuting times in major cities altogether or plan alternative routes.”
An analysis of AAA’s flight booking data from the last three years revealed that the Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving are usually the most popular air travel days and have the highest average price per roundtrip ticket. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving Day consistently has the lowest average price per ticket and is the lightest travel day. Travelers looking to save money this holiday season can fly the morning of the holiday and arrive just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Most travelers booked their flights for Thanksgiving between September 23 and October 25, paying an average ticket price of $478 roundtrip. Procrastinating travelers who still need to book their flights may find cheaper airfares, paying an average ticket price of $459 between now and November 15. However, last-minute flight availability will likely be very limited.
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