A Memorial Day weekend getaway is how almost 43 million Americans plan on kicking off the unofficial start of summer this year. According to AAA, we will see the second-highest travel volume on record since 2000 – an additional 1.5 million more people than last year, which is nearly a 4% increase.
The vast majority of these holiday travelers plan on driving to their destinations, despite the recent rise of the national gas price average. INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects travel delays more than three times longer than normal commutes this Memorial Day weekend.
Here are some of the forecasted travel volume stats reported by AAA about this record-breaking holiday travel weekend:
- Automobiles: Majority of travelers – 37.6 million – will hit the road, the most on record for the holiday and 3.5% more than last year.
- Planes: 3.25 million people will take to the skies, which is 4.8% more than last year.
- Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 3.8% to 1.9 million passengers.
These projections from AAA are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics and expertise, and information gathered by INRIX. Historical travel volume estimates come from TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM, a comprehensive study measuring the travel behavior of U.S. residents, by DK Shifflet.
The complete AAA/IHS Markit 2019 Memorial Day holiday travel forecast is available here.
