There could be record numbers of people driving, flying during Thanksgiving holiday season

Travel officials expect this Thanksgiving travel season to be one of the busiest on record.

AAA’s travel forecast projects 79.9 million people will travel between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2. That’s around 1.7 million more people traveling compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The holiday season will reflect the robust trends that we have enjoyed throughout the year,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central.

AAA expects around 71.7 million people will reach their destination by driving, which means around 1.3 million more travelers will be on the road than last year. They project the afternoons of Nov. 26 and 27, as well as Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving will be the worst time to be on the road.

TSA is also prepared for a busy travel season, projecting 18.3 million people will fly between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2 — a 6% increase in travelers compared to last year. The agency expects the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday will be the busiest travel days.

“This holiday season is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods on record, and the vigilant people of the Transportation Security Administration stand ready to ensure the security and ease of travel,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

TSA says it could pass the record of travelers screened in a day during this holiday travel season. The record currently sits at more than 3 million people and was set on July 7.

As we approach Thanksgiving, TSA is ready to accommodate record passenger volumes,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “The 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history have all occurred in 2024, and we anticipate that trend to continue. Working alongside our airport and airline partners and the FAA, we have optimized staffing and will do our best to maintain our wait time standards: less than 10 minutes for TSA PreCheck lanes and less than 30 minutes for standard screening lanes.”

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has not yet released its Thanksgiving travel outlook.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group