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AAA is projecting that nearly 217,000 Delawareans will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, an increase of nearly 2% over last year – exceeding pre-pandemic  numbers and setting a new record. As usual, the great majority of those travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations. AAA is projecting that more than 198,000 Delawareans (more than 91% of local travelers) will be hitting the road, up 1.8% over last year. AAA also projects more than 13,000 Delawareans (more than 6% of local travelers) will travel to their Thanksgiving holiday destination by air, an increase of 1.6% over last year.

Nationally, AAA projects 79.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. This year’s projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019.

Additional Information from AAA:

• AAA is projecting that nearly 217,000 Delawareans residents will be traveling over the end-of-year holiday travel period, an increase of 1.9% compared to last year.
• More than 91% of travelers – or more than 198,000 Delawareans residents, will be driving to their holiday destinations, up 1.8% over last year.
• AAA is projecting that more than 13,000 Delawareans will take to the skies, an increase of 1.6% year over year.
• More than 4,000 Delawareans will travel by ‘other’ modes of transportation (bus, train, ship or some other mode of transportation), up 6% over last year.
• AAA Projects nearly 80 million will travel over the Thanksgiving Holiday, an increase of 1.7 million people from last year and 2 million from 2019.
• For the first time, the AAA Thanksgiving forecast includes 7-days, with the addition of the Tuesday before the holiday and the Monday afterwards.
• The worst times to travel by car are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons when holiday travelers will be sharing the road with evening commuters in many metro areas.

 

WILMINGTON, DE (November 21, 2024) – AAA is projecting that nearly 217,000 Delawareans will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, an increase of nearly 2% over last year – exceeding pre-pandemic  numbers and setting a new record.

 

As usual, the great majority of those travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations. AAA is projecting that more than 198,000 Delawareans (more than 91% of local travelers) will be hitting the road, up 1.8% over last year.

AAA projects more than 13,000 Delawareans (more than 6% of local travelers) will travel to their Thanksgiving holiday destination by air, an increase of 1.6% over last year.

 

Other modes of travel – cruise ships, busses, and trains – will see a 6% increase over last year as more than 4,100 Delawareans utilize those modes of travel for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

 

“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, as families and friends look forward to reconnecting over the holiday period, and travel is a big part of that,” said Jana Tidwell, Manager of Public and Government Affairs, AAA Mid-Atlantic. “As travel demand continues to soar and trends evolve due to remote work options and extended school holiday breaks, we’re expecting to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising.”

 

For the first time, AAA’s forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers.

 

2024 Projected Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers – Delaware

 

NUMBER OF TRAVELERS	Total Population		2024 Travelers	Percent of population traveling			Percent change vs. 2023
Delaware TOTAL Auto, Air & Other	1,031,890*		216,697	21.0%			+1.9%
Delaware Auto	91.4% of people travel by car		198,123	19.2%			+1.8%
Delaware Air	6.2% of people travel by air		13,415	1.3%			+1.6%
Delaware Other (train, bus, cruise, etc.)	1.9% of people travel by other modes		4,128	0.4%			+6.0%
National TOTAL		337.7 million*	79.86 million		23.6%	+2.1%
National Auto		89.8% of people travel by car	71.74 million		21.2%	+1.9%
National Air		7.3% of people travel by air	5.85 million		1.7%	+2.1%
National Other (train, bus, cruise, etc.)		2.8% of people travel by other modes	2.28 million		0.7%	+8.9%

*U.S. Census Bureau (v2023)/IHS Markit

 

AAA’s National Travel Projections

AAA projects 79.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period*. This year’s projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019.

 

AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car over Thanksgiving – that’s an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses pre-pandemic numbers when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019.

 

Gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to 2023. The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. Falling oil prices this autumn may help push the national average below $3 a gallon for the first time since 2021, and that could happen before drivers hit the road for Thanksgiving. Regionally, drivers east of the Rockies will find gas between $2.25 to $2.50 a gallon in more than a dozen states.

 

Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to set a new record. AAA projects 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday. That’s an increase of 2% compared to last year and a nearly 11% increase over 2019.  According to AAA booking data, air travelers are paying 3% more for domestic Thanksgiving flights this year, while the number of flight bookings is similar to last year. International flight bookings are up 23% compared to last Thanksgiving, in part because the cost to fly internationally is down 5%.

 

Nearly 2.3 million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. This category is seeing an increase of almost 9% compared to last year and an 18% jump over 2019, in large part due to the popularity of cruising. The demand for cruises has been red-hot post-pandemic. Domestic and international cruise bookings are up 20% compared to last Thanksgiving.

 

No Holiday for AAA – Slow Down/Move Over

AAA is expecting to rescue more than 2,000 Members over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend – in Delaware alone – and more than a third of those calls will require a tow. Drivers are reminded to always Slow Down and Move Over for AAA tow truck drivers, other emergency first responders and the stranded motorists they are assisting on the side of the road.

 

Be Patient

The roads and airports will be busy so plan ahead.

• Arrive at the airport early so you’ll have plenty of time to get through longer TSA lines and other travel checkpoints. For domestic travel, AAA suggests 2.5 hours ahead of departure time and 3 hours for international.
• Consider booking a flight during non-peak travel periods to cut down on wait times; traveling on Thanksgiving Day is usually the least busy and most cost effective day to travel.
• Hit the road when there’s less traffic and allow for extra time when traveling to your destination; in metropolitan areas traffic could be more than double what it typically is on a normal day.

Best/Worst Times to Drive and Peak Congestion by Metro

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says the worst times to travel by car over Thanksgiving are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. The best time to hit the road is Thanksgiving Day itself when interstates and highways are typically clear. Drivers returning home on Sunday should leave early in the morning, and those coming back on Monday should expect a mix of travelers and work commuters on the road.

 

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