81.8 Million Americans to Travel for Thanksgiving

Millions of Americans are embarking on a record-breaking Thanksgiving travel surge, with an estimated 81.8 million people journeying at least 50 miles from home between November 25 and December 1, according to projections from the American Automobile Association. The holiday period, spanning the busiest travel week in over a decade, sees the vast majority heading out by car, while airports brace for heightened crowds following the recent end of the longest U.S. government shutdown in history.

Nearly 73 million travelers, or about 90 percent of the total, are expected to drive, marking a 2 percent increase from last year and the highest volume since before the pandemic. In California alone, 9.6 million people are projected to take to the roads, up 200,000 from 2023, while Texas anticipates 5.8 million road trippers. The Federal Aviation Administration forecasts more than 360,000 flights nationwide through December 1, carrying around 6 million passengers, the busiest Thanksgiving air travel in 15 years. About 17.8 million individuals are set to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, with Sunday, November 30, potentially seeing over 3 million screenings,...