AAA Sees 45 Million Memorial Day Travelers as 39.1 Million Hit the Road

11 articles · Updated · AAA Newsroom · May 21

45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles over the five-day Memorial Day period, topping last year and setting a holiday-weekend record.
39.1 million will drive—87% of all travelers—even though gas prices are higher than a year ago, while 3.66 million are projected to fly as average round-trip domestic fares booked earlier ran 6% lower at $800.
2.2 million more people are forecast to travel by bus, train or cruise, up 5%, with Alaska cruise demand helping lift that category.
Thursday and Friday afternoons are expected to bring the worst road congestion, with INRIX estimating travel times could more than double on some routes, including Washington to Baltimore and New York to the Jersey Shore.
AAA said the strong turnout shows leisure demand remains resilient as Memorial Day opens the summer travel season, with Orlando leading domestic destinations and Rome topping international bookings.

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