A record 81.8 million Americans set to travel over Thanksgiving, AAA says

A record 81.8 million Americans are set to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, with about 90% planning to drive to their destinations, according to a new forecast from AAA. 

Compared with the Thanksgiving holiday a year earlier, an additional 1.6 million people are predicted to travel more than 50 miles from their homes between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, the automobile group said. That would represent a new record for Turkey Day travel, which has rebounded since dipping to 56.8 million travelers in 2020, when the pandemic caused people to cancel their plans. 

Despite the disruption to air travel during the longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history, which ended Nov. 12, AAA projects that about 6.1 million Americans will fly during Thanksgiving week, up 2% from a year earlier. Flight cancellations have dropped since the end of the shutdown, which had prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to throttle air traffic at dozens of busy airports due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. 

On Sunday, the FAA said it was lifting all restrictions on commercial flights, allowing airlines to resume their regular schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST. 

Still, some travelers may opt to drive this year rather than fly due to the recent flight disruptions caused by the shutdown, AAA said.

“A lot of air travelers have been taking a wait-and-see approach to Thanksgiving and riding out the recent cancellations and recent reductions in the hopes their flight will be okay come Thanksgiving week,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz told CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave. 

About 73 million people plan to drive to their Thanksgiving destinations this year, a 1.3 million increase from the same period in 2024. The busiest pick-up day for car rentals is expected to be Wednesday, Nov. 26, according to car rental agency Hertz. 

Some drivers could get a financial break this year, with domestic car rentals 15% cheaper this Thanksgiving versus a year earlier, AAA said. Gasoline is about the same price as last year, with the average per-gallon cost at about $3.07, AAA data shows. The group recommends that drivers fill up the night before they leave for their Thanksgiving trips.