Millions of people would be expected to travel this Tuesday and Wednesday (November 21-22) in order to make it in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it was expecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday and another 2.7 million by Wednesday, while the Sunday after Thanksgiving (November 26) would draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30, the Associated Press reported.
"We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever," TSA administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. "In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA's history."
Meanwhile, the American Automobile Association (AAA) forecasted that 55.4 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home during the same time period.
Heavy afternoon traffic moves along the I-5 on November 23, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts nearly 55 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 98 percent of pre-pandemic volumes. AAA also projects that nearly 49 million are expected to travel by vehicle this week, while around 4.5 million will fly to their Thanksgiving destinations.
Weather May Affect Thanksgiving Travel Plans
Another factor travelers should consider is the unpredictable autumn weather.
A storm system was expected to move from the southern Plains to the Northeast by Tuesday and Wednesday, which would bring severe thunderstorms, winds, and possibly snow.
Earlier this week, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that the government has tried to prepare for the annual year-end holiday travel over the last year by hiring more air traffic controllers, opening new air routes along the US East Coast, and providing grants to airports for snow plows and deicing equipment. However, it is better for travelers to still check road conditions and flight times themselves before leaving home.
"Mother Nature, of course, is the X factor in all of this," he said.
It could be recalled that last year's December holiday travel season was plagued with severe winter storms that knocked out thousands of flights and left millions of passengers stranded.
Lower Air, Gas Fares
Another factor for this year's Thanksgiving traffic was the decrease in prices on both air and gasoline fares.
According to travel site Hopper, airfares have averaged $268 per ticket this year, down 14% from last year.
While gasoline prices are down by about $0.45 per gallon from this time last year. The AAA additionally reported that the national average was $3.30 per gallon on Monday (November 20), compared to last year's average of $3.67 per gallon.
Patrick De Haan, analyst for the price-tracking service GasBuddy, said that inflation has cooled but some things like food are still getting more expensive, while consumers charge more on credit cards and save less.
"Sure, they love the falling gas prices, but a lot of Americans spent in other ways this summer and they may not be ready to open their wallets for Thanksgiving travel just yet," he said.
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