Holiday Travel to Hit Second-Highest Level Since 2000, Says AAA
Airports Expected to See Record Numbers, While Road Travel Remains Popular Despite Slight Decrease from 2019
- AAA predicts that 115.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the 10 days between Dec. 23 and New Year’s Day, a 2.2% increase from last year.
- Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been this holiday season, with an estimated 7.5 million air travelers, surpassing 2019’s record of 7.3 million passengers.
- Nearly 104 million people will drive to their holiday destinations, a 1.8% increase from 2022, but 3.7% less than in record-setting 2019.
- Transportation data provider INRIX predicts that the worst traffic during the 10-day holiday period will occur on Saturday, Dec. 23; Thursday, Dec. 28; and Saturday, Dec. 30.
- More than 4 million Americans are expected to take alternative transportation over Christmas and New Year’s, a jump of 3.4% compared to 2022 and up 1.1% compared to 2019.