AAA projects 45 million travelers

AAA said 45 million Americans were 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 weekend. The forecast, published May 11, covers trips from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. (newsroom.aaa.com) The projection is slightly above the 44.8 million travelers AAA estimated for the same holiday in 2025. The travel surge is arriving with higher fuel costs and heavier airport traffic. (newsroom.aaa.com) Yahoo’s Memorial Day travel coverage said 3.66 million people were expected to fly domestically during the holiday stretch and warned travelers to expect fuller airports. CNBC, citing GasBuddy, said average U.S. gasoline prices were forecast to reach $4.48 on Memorial Day, up from $3.14 a year earlier. ### How many people are expected to drive, fly or take other trips? AAA said 39.1 million people were expected to travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, accounting for roughly 87% of all travelers in its forecast. (newsroom.aaa.com) The organization also projected 3.66 million domestic air travelers and said another 2.2 million people would travel by bus, train or cruise. Yahoo’s travel coverage said the air-travel figure would mark another increase from last year, even as road trips remained the dominant choice. AAA said flight demand was rising while average round-trip domestic airfare was 6% lower than a year earlier for travelers who booked early. (yahoo.com) ### Why are people still traveling with gas prices this high? GasBuddy forecast average U.S. gasoline prices of $4.48 on Memorial Day, compared with $3.14 on the holiday a year earlier, according to CNBC. AAA separately said Memorial Day weekend gas prices had reached a four-year high. Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in AAA’s release that Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and gives many Americans a three-day weekend to take a trip. (newsroom.aaa.com) Barber said travelers were still planning getaways even if some trips were closer to home. ### What are travelers being told to expect at airports and on roads? (travel.yahoo.com) Yahoo said airports were likely to be busier as the 3.66 million projected flyers moved through the system during the holiday period. A separate Yahoo travel report said roads would also be crowded, reflecting the much larger number of people expected to travel by car. (cnbc.com) AAA’s forecast defines the holiday travel window as five days rather than only the three-day weekend, a period that began Thursday, May 21, and ends Monday, May 25. That longer span captures departures and returns around the holiday and is the basis for the 45 million estimate. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### How does this compare with past Memorial Day weekends? AAA said this year’s 45 million forecast was slightly higher than the 44.8 million people who traveled over Memorial Day weekend in 2025. In 2024, AAA projected 43.8 million Memorial Day travelers, which it said had come close to the old 2005 record. (yahoo.com) The 2026 figures show continued growth across holiday travel categories, with auto trips still carrying most of the volume. AAA’s forecast period runs through Monday, May 25, while GasBuddy’s Memorial Day gasoline estimate and airport volumes will provide the next public markers of how the weekend played out. (newsroom.aaa.com)