Drivers in some metro areas could face average travel times 80% longer than normal
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If you’re heading out of town for Thanksgiving, you won’t be alone as AAA is expecting 55.4 million people to travel at least 50 miles (80 km) from home this holiday. That’s up 2.3% from last year and it’s the third-highest amount of travelers since 2000.
Nearly 89% of people are expected to travel by car and that means there will be approximately 49.1 million motorists on the road. That’s up 1.7% from last year and this will likely result in congestion as well as delays.
Roads are expected to be extremely busy on November 22 between 2:00 and 6:00 PM local time. Traffic could be so bad that drivers may face “average travel times as high as 80% over normal in some metro areas.” Los Angeles is expected to lead the way, but drivers in Atlanta, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC should also pack plenty of patience.
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On the bright side, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline has fallen to $3.31. That’s down from $3.58 per gallon last year, so drivers should be thankful for lower prices at the pump.
Besides car travel, roughly 4.7 million Americans will travel by air. That’s up 6.6% from last year and is the highest number since 2005. Flights leaving on Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be packed, while returns are mostly scheduled for Sunday.
Interestingly, AAA noted the number of people traveling by cruise, bus, or train is expected to jump nearly 11% to 1.55 million. These modes of transportation took a “huge hit during the pandemic but have rebounded nicely.” AAA’s Paula Twidale noted, “The cruise industry, in particular, has made a remarkable comeback” and “Thanksgiving cruises are mostly sold out.”
