AAA forecasts 45 million Memorial Day travelers

AAA said 45 million Americans were expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. The forecast, released May 11, is slightly above last year’s level and sets a new Memorial Day record, according to the auto club’s travel outlook. The travel surge is coming even as gasoline prices head into the weekend at their highest Memorial Day level in four years. AAA’s fuel tracker showed the national average for regular gasoline at $4.515 a gallon on May 24, after the group said on May 21 that holiday-weekend gas prices had reached a four-year high. ### How many people are expected to drive, fly or use other transport? AAA said 39.1 million travelers were expected to drive over the five-day holiday window. That makes the road trip by far the dominant mode of travel for the weekend, accounting for most of the projected record total. INRIX, which worked with AAA on the forecast, said 3.66 million people were expected to fly domestically. That figure was up 0.3% from last year, according to Yahoo’s Memorial Day traveler guide, which cited AAA data. AAA and INRIX said the remaining travelers were expected to use buses, trains or cruises. The forecast applies to domestic trips of at least 50 miles from home, not shorter local outings. ### Why is the forecast still rising with gas prices this high? AAA said the increase came despite higher fuel costs than a year ago. The group said Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and that many travelers still use the long weekend for visits with family and friends. The national average for regular gasoline stood at about $4.56 a gallon heading into the weekend, according to AAA figures cited by multiple news outlets. AAA said those prices were the highest for Memorial Day in four years. Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in the organization’s release that Memorial Day weekend remains a popular time for getaways because it is a three-day weekend for many Americans. AAA also said some travelers who booked flights early found lower ticket prices than a year earlier. ### When were the worst traffic periods expected? INRIX said the heaviest congestion was expected in the afternoons and evenings as travelers left metropolitan areas. USA Today, citing INRIX data, said drivers hoping to avoid the worst backups should leave in the morning or later at night. Yahoo’s traveler guide said Monday was likely to be the worst driving day for many routes for most of the day. That warning reflected the return leg of the holiday weekend, when travelers were expected to head back in large numbers. Regional outlets also pointed to weather as a complicating factor, especially in the Northeast. Forecasts in parts of New England and Connecticut called for rain and slower road conditions on Sunday and early Monday. ### What does the gas-price picture look like right now? AAA’s gas-price tracker listed the national average for regular gasoline at $4.515 on May 24. The group’s fuel page also said Memorial Day weekend gas prices had reached four-year highs. Regional prices were moving higher as well. In South Carolina, for example, Yahoo reported statewide averages above $4 a gallon and said every state had crossed that threshold this year. ### What should travelers watch next? Monday, May 25, is the final day in AAA’s Memorial Day travel window and the day INRIX and Yahoo flagged as a likely peak return-travel period. AAA’s gas-price page and INRIX traffic updates remain the main public sources for fresh figures and road timing through the end of the holiday.