Holiday miles

In the US, the Thanksgiving holiday is typically the busiest travel day of the year as Americans head to dinner hosted by family or friends. This year, the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates that nearly 80 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles over the Thanksgiving holiday period (from the Tuesday before to the Monday after.) The estimate would represent 2.1% year on year growth from the comparable period for Thanksgiving last year, and 2.7% growth from pre-pandemic 2019. While the smallest mode of transport, travel by other means including bus and train jumped 9.1% year on year, and up 18.8% from 2019. Accounting for nearly 90% of travel, auto passenger traffic was expected to rise 1.6%. However, severe winter storms across northern parts of the country disrupted air travel and according to the US Transportation Security Administration, checked passengers on Thanksgiving day fell 40% year-on-year. From the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to the Saturday after, the TSA checked 2.2% more passengers this year.

Source: American Automobile Association, November 2024