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, setting a new record for the long weekend. The forecast covers trips between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25. AAA said the total is slightly above last year’s 44.8 million travelers. The group said road trips will account for the vast majority of those journeys, even as gasoline prices run above year-earlier levels. ### How big is this year’s Memorial Day travel forecast? AAA’s 45 million estimate would make 2026 the busiest Memorial Day travel period since the group began tracking the holiday in 2000, according to its May 11 release. The forecast is slightly higher than the 44.8 million travelers AAA estimated for Memorial Day 2025. (newsroom.aaa.com) The holiday window AAA uses runs from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25, and counts travelers going at least 50 miles from home. That definition is consistent with the group’s prior holiday travel forecasts. ### Why are cars still dominating the holiday weekend? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said 39.1 million people are expected to travel by car, or 87% of all Memorial Day travelers. That would also be a record for the holiday, according to the group. 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 said driving remains the most popular option for Memorial Day getaways. ### What are gas prices doing heading into the weekend? AAA said drivers are paying more than they did over Memorial Day last year, when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.17. In a separate fuel-price update published May 7, AAA said the national average had risen to $4.55 a gallon, up 25 cents for a second straight week and $1.40 above a year earlier. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said pump prices are the highest since the summer of 2022. The group also used the forecast release to remind motorists to slow down, move over for stopped emergency vehicles and service crews, and drive sober. ### What does AAA expect for flights and other travel? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said 3.66 million people are expected to fly domestically over the holiday weekend, representing about 8% of total travelers. The group said that figure is slightly above last year’s air-travel level. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA booking data showed roundtrip domestic airfare was 6% lower than a year earlier for Memorial Day trips, with an average ticket price of $800, based on what travelers paid when they booked. The group said many of those tickets were purchased before higher jet-fuel costs began pushing up fares. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said another 2.2 million people are expected to travel by bus, train or cruise, up 5% from a year earlier. That category remains much smaller than driving and flying, but it adds to the overall record forecast. ### Where could travelers feel the crunch first? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said Hertz expects Thursday and Friday to be the busiest rental-car pickup days of the holiday stretch. The company’s top five markets for rental demand are Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston, according to AAA’s release. (newsroom.aaa.com) Last Memorial Day weekend, AAA said it handled more than 350,000 roadside-assistance calls for problems including dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks. AAA also said domestic car rentals are 1% cheaper this holiday weekend than they were a year ago, based on its booking data. (newsroom.aaa.com) Thursday, May 21, is the first day of AAA’s Memorial Day travel period, and Monday, May 25, is the last. Travelers looking for the full forecast and mode-by-mode breakdown can find it in AAA’s May 11 holiday travel release. (newsroom.aaa.com)