AAA: nearly 45 million travel Memorial Day

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 what the group called a new record for the long weekend. The forecast covers trips between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25. The travel organization said 39.1 million people are expected to go by car, making driving the dominant mode again this year. The projection comes as gas prices are running above year-earlier levels, while average domestic airfares for travelers who booked early are lower than last year. ### How many people is AAA expecting on the road and in the air? AAA said 39.1 million people are expected to drive over the holiday weekend, or about 87% of all Memorial Day travelers. The group said 3.66 million are expected to fly, while another 2.2 million are projected to travel by bus, train or cruise. (newsroom.aaa.com) The 2026 forecast is slightly above the 44.8 million people AAA said traveled over Memorial Day in 2025. AAA said that would make this year the highest Memorial Day travel total on record. ### Why is driving still carrying almost all of the holiday traffic? Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said “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 Memorial Day’s three-day format and the flexibility of road trips continue to make driving the preferred option. Gasoline prices are higher than they were at Memorial Day last year. AAA said the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.17 on Memorial Day 2025, and that pump prices are now at their highest levels since the summer of 2022. ### What does the Illinois forecast show? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA’s Auto Club Group said on May 13 that 2.1 million Illinois residents are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over Memorial Day weekend. The state forecast breaks down to nearly 1.9 million travelers by car, 111,500 by air, and more than 106,000 by other modes including bus, train and cruise. (newsroom.aaa.com) Molly Hart, a spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said some drivers are adjusting to higher fuel prices and overall costs by taking shorter getaways or staying closer to home. AAA said Illinois is expected to post a slight year-over-year decline in total travelers, auto travel and air travel even as the national total reaches a record. (newsroom.acg.aaa.com) ### Which places are expected to be busiest? Hertz, identified by AAA as its car-rental partner, said Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest pickup days for rental cars over the holiday weekend. AAA said the top five rental markets are Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston. (newsroom.acg.aaa.com) Orlando’s prominence in the rental data points to heavy traffic around one of the country’s biggest holiday leisure corridors. AAA and INRIX published the forecast jointly, and AAA said travelers should expect congestion as record numbers head out for the unofficial start of summer. That reading is supported by the rental-demand concentrations AAA listed, though the organizations did not provide a city-by-city delay table in the material reviewed here. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### What are the main cost and safety details travelers are being told to watch? AAA said domestic car rentals are 1% cheaper than last year for the holiday weekend, based on its booking data. The group also said round-trip domestic flights are 6% cheaper than a year earlier, with an average ticket price of $800 for travelers who booked before rising jet fuel prices began affecting fares. (newsroom.aaa.com) Last Memorial Day weekend, AAA said it responded to more than 350,000 roadside assistance calls nationwide for problems including dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks. The group urged drivers to check tires, batteries and fluids before leaving and to follow “Slow Down, Move Over” laws around disabled vehicles and roadside responders. (newsroom.aaa.com) Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22, are expected to be the busiest rental-car pickup days, according to Hertz data cited by AAA. The holiday travel period AAA is tracking runs through Monday, May 25, when millions of drivers are expected to be heading home. (newsroom.aaa.com)