The AAA estimates that 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more away from their homes during the period from Saturday, December 21st to Wednesday, January 1st.
What to expect from holiday travel this year?
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More than 119 million people are expected to travel by air and road for the December holidays, setting a new record.
Overall, 119.3 million people are forecast to travel 50 miles or more from their homes from December 21st to January 1st,
Nearly 90% of all travelers will drive, leading to heavy traffic across the country and up to 30% longer travel times. For those who want to avoid the worst traffic, AAA recommends leaving on major holidays like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.
The weekends before Christmas Day and New Year's Day are expected to be the busiest for traffic. But for those who have no choice, AAA suggests leaving in the mornings to avoid peak delays.
The good news is gas prices are some of the lowest they have been in years, just over $3 per gallon nationally.
It's expected that a record-breaking 7.85 million passengers will take to the skies during the upcoming holiday period. This is despite the fact that ticket prices have risen by 4% compared to last year.
Airlines are also feeling the holiday rush. For instance, United Airlines is anticipating its busiest holiday travel period ever. In total, 9.9 million people are predicted to fly with the carrier between December 19th and January 6th, which is a 12% increase from last year.
The busiest days for United Airlines will be Friday, December 20th, Friday, December 27th, and Saturday, December 28th.
According to David Kinzelman, United's chief customer officer, "United is ready for the holidays – our teams on the ground and in the air look forward to delivering a great experience, and we've added even more easy-to-use features to our app to help our customers stay informed and save time."
In addition to air travel, AAA reports that the number of Americans traveling by bus, train, and cruise is up nearly 10% this holiday season compared to last year. Moreover, domestic cruise bookings have increased by an impressive 37% compared to the previous year.
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