The AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend – a seven per cent increase over 2022.
This year, 2.7 million more people are expected to travel for the unofficial start of summer compared to last year.
“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.
“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 expected to fly to their destinations this Memorial Day, an increase of 11 per cent over last year. Air travel over the holiday weekend is projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, with 170,000 more passengers – or 5.4 per cent more – than in 2019.
The AAA said demand for flights was skyrocketing despite high ticket prices.
Memorial Day road trips are also up six per cent over last year. 37.1 million Americans will drive to their destinations, an increase of more than two million.
Travelers taking other modes of transportation, like buses and train are expected to total 1.85 million, an increase of 20.6 per cent over 2022.
