AAA forecasts 45 million Memorial Day travelers

AAA said on May 11 that 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period, a level the group said would set a new record for the holiday. The forecast covers trips between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25, according to AAA’s annual travel outlook. The group said the 2026 total is slightly above the 44.8 million travelers it counted for Memorial Day in 2025. AAA also said 39.1 million people are expected to drive and 3.66 million are projected to fly. ### How big is the travel forecast, exactly? AAA’s headline number is 45 million travelers, defined as Americans going at least 50 miles from home during the five-day Memorial Day period. The group said that would edge past last year’s holiday volume and set a new Memorial Day weekend record. The 2025 comparison matters because AAA’s release a year earlier put last year’s Memorial Day total at 45.1 million, also described as a record at the time. (newsroom.aaa.com) In the 2026 release, AAA said 44.8 million people traveled for the holiday in 2025, making this year’s forecast “slightly higher” than last year. AAA did not explain the revision in the excerpt published on its newsroom page. ### Who is expected to be on the road and in the air? AAA said 39.1 million people are expected to travel by car, which it said amounts to 87% of Memorial Day travelers. The group said that is a slight increase from last year and keeps driving as the dominant mode for the holiday. Air travel is projected at 3.66 million domestic passengers, up slightly from a year earlier, AAA said. (newsroom.aaa.com) The group said air travelers would account for 8% of holiday travelers, while another 2.2 million people are expected to travel by bus, train or cruise, up 5% from last year. ### What are travelers paying this year? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA’s fuel-price tracker showed a national average of $4.528 a gallon for regular gasoline on May 15 and $4.517 on May 16. AAA said drivers are paying more than they did last Memorial Day, when the national average was $3.17 a gallon. AAA said domestic roundtrip flights booked for the holiday averaged $800, down 6% from a year earlier. (newsroom.aaa.com) The group said most of those trips were booked before rising jet fuel prices began affecting airfares. Car rentals are 1% cheaper than a year earlier, according to AAA booking data cited in the release. (gasprices.aaa.com) Hertz, AAA’s car-rental partner, said Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest pickup days of the holiday period. ### What is AAA saying about demand despite higher fuel prices? Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in the release that “travel demand remains strong” and that many people are still prioritizing leisure trips during holiday breaks despite higher fuel prices. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA tied that demand to the three-day weekend and the start of the summer travel season. AAA’s newsroom also listed a May 14 fuel-price update under the headline “Little Relief for Drivers as National Average Dips then Rises Again,” underscoring the cost backdrop as the holiday approaches. The fuel tracker showed the national average for regular gasoline was more than $1.30 above the year-earlier level. ### Where are the busiest rental-car markets? (newsroom.aaa.com) Hertz said Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston are the five markets showing the highest rental-car demand for the holiday weekend. AAA said those bookings point to heavy activity in major leisure and city destinations over the long weekend. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA also said it handled more than 350,000 roadside assistance calls over last year’s Memorial Day weekend for problems including dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks. The group urged drivers heading out this year to check batteries, tire pressure and fluids before leaving. ### When does the holiday travel period begin? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA’s forecast period begins on Thursday, May 21, and runs through Monday, May 25. The group’s fuel-price page updates daily, and its travel release and newsroom posts are already live ahead of the holiday weekend. (newsroom.aaa.com)