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Monday, November 18, 2024

AAA: Nebraska and Iowa part of 6.4 Million Expected to Travel for Thanksgiving

AAA: Nebraska and Iowa part of 6.4 Million Expected to Travel for Thanksgiving

OMAHA, NE, (November 18, 2024) – AAA expects record-setting travel numbers for Thanksgiving. More than 6.4 million travelers from the West North Central Region* (WNC) are forecast to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday. That’s an all-time high for Thanksgiving and nearly 124,000 more travelers than last year.

*West North Central (WNC): IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD

National travel numbers are also expected to set new records with an estimated 79.9 million travelers. The 2% growth equates to 1.7 million more people than the previous record set last year, and 2 million more than in 2019.

These record-setting traveler numbers are being driven by economic growth, declining inflation, and strong income gains, which is expected to boost consumer spending by 4.6% compared to this time last year.

“We expect to see record travel numbers across the board,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “With more people taking to the roads, skies, rails, and sea; travelers should expect congested roads and longer lines at transportation terminals. AAA encourages travelers to develop their plan now and consider travel insurance, which provides compensation for flight cancellations, delays, and lost luggage.”

In effort to better capture the flow of holiday travelers, AAA expanded the number of days in the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. Instead of Wednesday-Sunday, this year’s Thanksgiving holiday travel period is seven days, stretching from Tuesday, November 26 to Monday, December 2. Additionally, we expanded our historical travel numbers to provide an apples-to-apples comparison.

 

U.S. Travelers                Total                   Auto                   Air                       Other

2024                                 79.9 million       71.7 million       5.8 million         2.3 million

2023                                 78.2 million       70.4 million       5.7 million         2.1 million

2019                                 77.8 million       70.6 million       5.3 million         1.9 million

 

WNC Travelers              Total                   Auto                   Air                       Other

2024                                  6.4 million         5.8 million         296,000              317,000

2023                                  6.2 million         5.7 million         291,000              280,000

2019                                  6.3 million         5.8 million         272,000              254,000

 

Thanksgiving Travelers by Mode

 

Automobile travel will set new records nationwide and across the WNC. AAA projects more than 5.8 million from the West North Central Region will take a road trip over Thanksgiving – that’s 82,000 more travelers than last year.

Gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to 2023. The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. The state average last year in Nebraska was $3.09 and in Iowa $2.92. Currently, drivers are finding an average price of $2.76 in Nebraska and $2.74 across Iowa. (Prices as of Monday 11/18). Visit GasPrices.AAA.com to view national, state, and regional gas price averages.

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.

AAA car rental partner Hertz says Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando, and Phoenix are the cities displaying the highest rental demand for the Thanksgiving holiday. The busiest car pick-up day is expected to be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the busiest rental return days will be the Monday and Tuesday after the holiday.

Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to set a new record. Nationally, 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.  

Domestic airfares are up 3% this year, according to AAA booking data, while the number of bookings are 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%.

Other modes of transportation increased 9% from last year. Nationally, nearly 2.3 million people are expected to travel by various transportation methods including buses, cruises, and trains. This category is seeing an 18% jump over 2019, in large part due to the popularity of cruising.  This is especially true across the WNC region as there is12.9 % growth over 2023 or 37,000 more travelers opting for other forms of holiday travel.

"The demand for cruises has been red-hot this year," Haas continued.  "Domestic and international cruise bookings are up 20% compared to last Thanksgiving. As new ocean and river cruising options have been introduced, more travelers are discovering the value and joy of cruising."

Best/Worst Times to Drive

According to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights:

  • 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.

 

BEST AND WORST TIMES TO TRAVEL BY CAR

DATE                               WORST TRAVEL TIME               BEST TRAVEL TIME

Mon, Nov 25                   1:00 PM - 5:00 PM CST               Before 11:00 AM CST

Tue, Nov 26                    1:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST               Before 10:00 AM CST

Wed, Nov 27                   1:00 PM - 5:00 PM CST               Before 10:00 AM CST

Thu, Nov 28                    (Thanksgiving Day)                      Minimal Traffic Impact Expected            

Fri, Nov 29                      7:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST              After 1:00 PM CST

Sat, Nov 30                     4:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST               Before 1:00 PM CST

Sun, Dec 1                      12:00 PM - 6:00 PM CST             Before 1:00 PM CST

Mon, Dec 2                      9:00 AM - 6:00 PM CST               Before 8 AM / After 7 PM CST

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