As swimming pools open, picnics are held and parades honor America’s veterans, this Memorial Day weekend will also be a busy one on the roads as industry experts expect an increase in travel compared to last year during the unofficial start of summer.
AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home between Thursday and Monday, a 7% increase over 2022. That means 2.7 million more people will be traveling this weekend than last year, and AAA sees that as a sign of what’s to come in the months ahead.
“This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a post on the organization’s website. “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”
The cost of plane tickets remains high, but the demand for flights is still skyrocketing, with this Memorial Day weekend shaping up to be the busiest at airports since 2005, AAA said.
About 3.4 million travelers are expected to fly to their destinations this holiday period, which could be an increase of 11% over last year. Air travel over the holiday weekend is projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, with 170,000 more passengers – a 5.4% increase – than in 2019.
Memorial Day road trips are forecast to be up 6% over last year, with 37.1 million Americans projected to drive to their destinations, an increase of more than 2 million, AAA said. That is still fewer than pre-pandemic, though, by about 500,000 travelers.
At the pump
For those driving, gas prices remain steady, with the national average for a gallon of unleaded at $3.56 on Wednesday, down from $3.67 a month ago and down more than $1 a gallon from a year ago when the average was $4.60, AAA said.
The Pennsylvania average on Wednesday was $3.67, with the average at $3.65 in Berks County, $3.67 in Montgomery County, $3.68 in Delaware County and at $3.69 in Chester County.
The federal Energy Information Administration’s latest short-term energy outlook released in early May predicted that gas prices will drop to a $3.48 national average for a gallon of regular unleaded in June, and continue to decrease to a $3.08 average in October.
“In the run-up to Memorial Day, the national average price of gas has seen little overall movement over the last week,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in his blog post this week.
“We’ve seen more states see prices climb than fall, which has been driven by oil’s volatility as debt ceiling discussions are ongoing,” he said, predicting that positive developments in the debt ceiling discussions could raise prices a little, while pessimism could drive prices slightly lower.
“I continue to be optimistic that the national average will remain under $4 per gallon for most of, if not the entire summer, with Americans spending a combined $1.6 billion less on gasoline over Memorial Day weekend this year compared to last,” he said.
In addition to driving and flying this holiday weekend, more people are also taking other modes of transportation, like buses and trains, AAA said. These travelers are expected to total 1.85 million, an increase of 20.6% over 2022.
Travel times
Friday will be the busiest day on the roads over the weekend, with the best times to travel by car being in the morning or evening after 6 p.m., according to INRIX, a transportation data and insights firm.
The lightest traffic days will be Saturday and Sunday, and major metro areas like Boston, New York, Seattle, and Tampa will likely see travel times double compared to normal, the company said.
“With lower fuel prices and more travelers on the road compared to last year, drivers should expect long delays this holiday weekend, especially in and around major metros as commuters mix with Memorial Day travelers,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.
On the turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike projects more than 2.1 million motorists will head to their holiday destinations on its roads this weekend, a 3.8% increase from 2022 traffic and just under the pre-pandemic holiday numbers.
“We appreciate the excitement of our travelers as they get away for the long weekend,” PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said in a statement. “But we also ask them to prepare for their travel, focus on the roadway and take stops when needed to rest and refresh.
“With more congested roadways, and ever-increasing incidents of distracted driving, even a moment of distraction can have devastating consequences.”
Friday is expected to be the heaviest travel day with 680,000 vehicles on the turnpike. Saturday is projected to have 510,000, Sunday to have 475,000 vehicles and Monday to have 495,000 vehicles, turnpike officials said.
Out of the country
Those flying are paying more to travel to the most popular cities this year, said AAA, with its booking data showing a 40% increase in airfare costs to the top destinations. But that’s not stopping travelers from booking flights abroad, as international travel is surging with bookings 250% higher this holiday weekend compared to 2022, the company said.
European cities are the most popular, including Rome, Paris, Dublin, London, Barcelona, and Athens, it said, and international car rentals are up more than 80% over 2022.
AAA also reports strong sales for international driving permits this year, almost double what they were last year, and said the passport courier service RushMyPassport is seeing an unprecedented number of applications for expedited passport and visa services this year.
The unprecedented surge in demand for passports is causing processing delays that are placing some international travel plans in jeopardy, industry officials say.
