AAA: 2024 Memorial Day weekend could break travel records

NORTH ALABAMA (WHNT) — The unofficial start to summer is just a few days away, and the American Automobile Association, or AAA, expects a major weekend for air travel and road trips this Memorial Day.

“We think it’ll be very close to the busiest Memorial Day weekend of all time (which was in 2005) when we had 44 million,” AAA Alabama Spokesperson Clay Ingram said.

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According to the association, most people will start their holiday weekend on Thursday.

“It’s going to be busy on the roads,” Ingram said. “It’s going to be really busy in the airports.”

For those planning to hit the road or board a plane this weekend, here’s what you need to know.

Airports across the country are bracing for another spike in travelers.

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AAA expects 3.51 million air travelers this holiday weekend, an increase of 4.8 percent over last year and a 9 percent jump compared to 2019. This will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005 when 3.64 million flew for the holiday as the travel industry finally rebounded post-9/11. This Memorial Day weekend, the association says air ticket prices are comparable to last year.

“You might want to get there 3-31/2 hours early…maybe rather than the standard two hours early just to be sure you don’t miss out,” Ingram said.

AAA projects 38.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the highest number for that holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000. The number of drivers this year is up 4% compared to last year and 1.9 percent higher than in 2019.

If you’re traveling on the roads, prepare to hit traffic. Ingram recommends avoiding speeding and weaving in and out of traffic.

“We did a study a couple of years ago that showed you could save as much as 33% of your fuel expense by switching from a very aggressive driver to being a very conservative driver,” Ingram stated.

AAA says this year’s Memorial Day weekend travel exceeds pre-pandemic levels. The association says this signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.

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