by Michael Gauthier
- 82M Americans will travel for this year’s busy Thanksgiving holiday.
- Around 73 million people will drive, up 1.8 percent from last year.
- Gas prices will stay roughly the same as they were during 2024.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and a record 81.8 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles (80 km) from their home. That’s up 1.6 million people from last year and AAA noted Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel in the United States.
Nearly 90 percent of those travelers will be driving a car, and that means roads will be jam-packed with around 73 million people.
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That projected figure is around 1.3 million higher than last year’s tally, but the actual number could be higher as some air travelers could have been spooked by recent flight delays and cancellations during the government shutdown.
While the Federal Aviation Administration recently lifted flight restrictions at 40 major airports, there was chaos earlier this month as there was a record high 81 “staffing triggers” on November 8. This caused numerous flight delays and cancellations, but things have improved since the shutdown ended.
Highways Fill as Flights Stumble
As the FAA noted, there were only six staffing triggers on November 14th, eight on the 15th, and one on the 16th. That being said, air travel is far from worry free. On November 19, there were at least 2,211 delays and 50 cancellations according to FlightAware.
Unfortunately for drivers, they won’t be getting a break at the pump. The national average for a gallon of gasoline is $3.09, which is a few cents higher than last year’s Thanksgiving Day price of $3.06.
Roads are expected to be busiest Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon as well as all-day Sunday. On the bright side, Thanksgiving itself is only expected to experience a “minimal traffic impact.”
What’s Happening in the Skies?
Getting back to planes, 6.07 million people are expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s up slightly from the 5.94 million that took to the skies last year. Of course, with the flight drama, the actual number could be lower than projected.
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The average roundtrip flight is around $700 this year, which is similar to 2024. While people are flying out at different times, the busiest return days are expected to be Sunday and Monday.
The top domestic destinations are all in Florida as they’re Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. They’re followed by Los Angeles / Anaheim and Tampa.