This holiday season is going to be one of the busiest in recent history, according to AAA data.
Nearly 55 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving. That’s an increase of 1.5 percent over 2021 and 98 percent of pre-pandemic travel volume. Of those travelers, more than 1 million are estimated to come from Arizona.
Air travel is predicted to see the greatest growth in travelers. About 4.5 million people are flying to their Thanksgiving destination, a nearly 8 percent increase over 2021. And nearly 49 million people are expected to travel by car.
“The upcoming holiday is projected to be one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades,” said Brian Ng, senior vice president of membership and travel marketing for AAA Arizona. “Planning ahead will go a long way toward alleviating holiday travel stress.”
AAA Arizona offers 5 Thanksgiving travel tips:
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Airport parking lots fill up fast. Reserve a spot ahead of time.
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Expect long TSA lines and consider not checking a bag for additional flexibility if flights are delayed or rescheduled.
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Road traffic peaks the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Travel during off-peak periods (before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.), if possible.
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Over 400,000 Thanksgiving travelers will call AAA for roadside assistance nationwide. Get a pre-trip inspection to ensure your vehicle is road-ready.
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Gas prices are nearly $0.63 cents more per gallon than last year. Find the lowest gas prices on your travel route with the AAA Mobile App.
