73 million Americans are expected to use their cars, so pack your patience
82M Americans will travel for this year's busy Thanksgiving holiday. Around 73 million people will drive, up 1.8 percent from last year. Gas prices will stay roughly the same as they were during 2024. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and a record 81.
8 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from their home. That’s up 1.6 million people from last year and AAA noted Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel in the United States. Nearly 90 percent of those travelers will be driving a car, and that means roads will be jam-packed with around 73 million people. More: Government Shutdown Sparks Massive Surge In One-Way Car Rentals That projected figure is around 1.3 million higher than last year’s tally, but the actual number could be higher as some air travelers could have been spooked by recent flight delays and cancellations during the government shutdown. While the Federal Aviation Administration recently lifted flight restrictions at 40 major airports, there was chaos earlier this month as there was a record high 81 “staffing triggers” on November 8. This caused numerous flight delays and cancellations, but things have improved since the shutdown ended. Highways Fill as Flights Stumble As the FAA noted, there were only six staffing triggers on November 14th, eight on the 15th, and one on the 16th. That being said, air travel is far from worry free. On November 19, there were at least 2,211 delays and 50 cancellations according to FlightAware. Unfortunately for drivers, they won’t be getting a break at the pump. The national average for a gallon of gasoline is $3.09, which is a few cents higher than last year’s Thanksgiving Day price of $3.06. Roads are expected to be busiest Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon as well as all-day Sunday. On the bright side, Thanksgiving itself is only expected to experience a “minimal traffic impact.” What’s Happening in the Skies? Getting back to planes, 6.07 million people are expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s up slightly from the 5.94 million that took to the skies last year. Of course, with the flight drama, the actual number could be lower than projected. Also: These AI Traffic Stop Videos Are Equal Parts Hilarious And Terrifying The average roundtrip flight is around $700 this year, which is similar to 2024. While people are flying out at different times, the busiest return days are expected to be Sunday and Monday. The top domestic destinations are all in Florida as they’re Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. They’re followed by Los Angeles / Anaheim and Tampa.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump’s redistricting ‘backfire’ could become Republicans’ worst nightmare: Wall Street Journal“President Trump’s insistence that Texas Republicans redraw their House map before the 2026 midterms is looking like it could backfire in a big way,' the editorial board wrote.
Read more »
13 Alert Traffic: 2 total freeway closures among traffic backups happening this weekendTxDOT says Houston drivers can expect total closures at both the Gulf Freeway and the Southwest Freeway this weekend. Here's how to get around them.
Read more »
How Zohran Mamdani went from 'Trump's worst nightmare' to a ‘potential dream partnership’This is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »
'It was a nightmare': Shooting injures man at South Jersey recording studioInvestigators have not released further details about the incident, including where the shooting occurred or whether anyone has been arrested.
Read more »
Reality Star Transportation Secretary Suggests People Dressing Up Will Fix Nightmare Air Travel ExperienceBarf Bag: Sean Duffy to pissed off travelers: 'Be in a good mood, dress up.'
Read more »
41 Nightmare Bride And Groomzillas'How do I tell my cousin that I don't want her to be a bridesmaid anymore? She gives birth a month before my wedding. I want my bridesmaids to have a certain look at my wedding, and she won't be able to pull it off because she gained a lot of weight.
Read more »