AAA projects 45 million travelers

AAA said on May 11 that 45 million Americans were expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25, setting a Memorial Day weekend record. The forecast was slightly above 2025’s 44.8 million travelers, according to the group’s holiday outlook. (newsroom.aaa.com) Driving accounted for the biggest share, with 39.1 million travelers expected on the roads, while 3.66 million were projected to fly domestically. AAA said the increase was coming even as gasoline prices were running at their highest level since the summer of 2022. ### How big is this year’s Memorial Day travel surge? AAA’s 45 million figure covers travelers going at least 50 miles from home over the five-day holiday period. (abcnews.com) The organization said that total would be a new Memorial Day weekend record and slightly higher than last year’s level. The 39.1 million expected road travelers amount to 87% of all holiday travelers, AAA said. Another 2.2 million people were expected to travel by bus, train or cruise, up 5% from a year earlier. ### Why are so many people still driving if gas is expensive? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said gasoline prices were higher than last Memorial Day weekend, when the national average for a gallon of regular was $3.17. The group said pump prices were at their highest point since the summer of 2022. Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said “travel demand remains strong” and that many people were still prioritizing leisure trips during holiday breaks despite higher fuel costs. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA also said drivers made up the overwhelming majority of travelers this weekend, reinforcing that road trips remained the default choice even with more expensive fill-ups. ### What does the air-travel outlook look like? AAA projected 3.66 million domestic air travelers for the holiday weekend, a small increase from last year. Air passengers were expected to make up about 8% of total Memorial Day travelers. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said round-trip domestic flights were 6% cheaper than a year earlier for travelers who booked early, with an average ticket price of $800 based on its booking data. The group said most of those trips were reserved before rising jet fuel prices began affecting airfare. ### When was traffic expected to be worst? (newsroom.aaa.com) INRIX said drivers leaving on Friday, May 22, were best off departing before 11 a.m., with the heaviest traffic expected from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The traffic analytics company said the return trip on Monday, May 25, would be busiest from noon to 5 p.m. and advised drivers to leave before 10 a.m. (newsroom.aaa.com) ABC News, citing the AAA and INRIX outlook, said Monday return traffic was expected to be heavy for much of the day. That made the trip home potentially more congested than parts of the outbound rush. ### What else were travel companies watching? (newsroom.aaa.com) Hertz told AAA that Thursday and Friday were expected to be the busiest rental-car pickup days of the weekend. The company’s top five markets for rental demand were Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston. AAA said it handled more than 350,000 roadside assistance calls over Memorial Day weekend last year, including dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks. (abcnews.com) For Monday, May 25, the clearest next marker was the return window identified by INRIX: noon to 5 p.m., when holiday traffic was forecast to be at its heaviest. (newsroom.aaa.com)