NORTH ALABAMA (WHNT) — The unofficial start of summer is just days away, and the American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts a busy weekend for air and road travel this Memorial Day. .
“We believe this will be very close to the busiest Memorial Day weekend in history (2005) with 44 million people,” said Clay Ingram, a spokesman for AAA Alabama.
The association said most people will begin their weekend vacation on Thursday.
“The roads will be congested,” Ingram said. “The airport will also be really crowded.”
If you're planning on traveling or flying this weekend, here's what you need to know.
Airports across the country are bracing for another surge in travelers.
AAA predicts 3.51 million air travelers will travel this holiday weekend, an increase of 4.8% from last year and 9% compared to 2019. This will be the airport's busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2005, when 3.64 million people took to the air this holiday for travel. The industry finally recovered after 9/11. This Memorial Day weekend, ticket prices are similar to last year, the association said.
“You might want to arrive three and a half hours early rather than the standard two hours early to avoid missing out,” Ingram said.
AAA predicts that 38.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the highest number for the holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000. The number of drivers this year is up 4% compared to last year and 1.9% compared to 2019.
If you travel by road, be prepared to encounter traffic jams. Ingram recommends avoiding speeding and traffic jams.
“A study we did a few years ago found that switching from a very aggressive driver to a very conservative driver can save you as much as 33 percent on fuel costs,” Ingram said. Ta.
According to AAA, this year's Memorial Day weekend travel exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The association says this is a sign of a very busy summer travel season ahead.
