AAA: 55 million expected to travel for Thanksgiving; gas prices highest ever

LAS VEGAS — The upcoming holiday season is going to be one of the busiest in recent history, according to AAA data.

Nearly 55 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, the organization said in a Tuesday news release. That’s an increase of 1.5 percent over 2021 and comes in at 98 percent of pre-pandemic travel volume.

Air travel is predicted to see the greatest growth in travelers. About 4.5 million people are flying to their Thanksgiving destination, a nearly 8 percent increase over 2021.

Also, nearly 49 million people are expected to travel by car.

“The upcoming holiday is projected to be one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades,” said Brian Ng, Senior VP of Membership and Travel Marketing for AAA Nevada. “Planning ahead will go a long way toward alleviating holiday travel stress.”

Five Thanksgiving travel tips

• Airport parking lots fill up fast. Reserve a spot ahead of time.

• Expect long TSA lines and consider not checking a bag for additional flexibility if flights are delayed or rescheduled.

• Road traffic peaks the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Travel during off-peak periods (before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.), if possible.

• More than 400,000 Thanksgiving travelers will call AAA for roadside assistance nationwide. Get a pre-trip inspection to ensure your vehicle is road-ready.

• Gas prices are nearly $1.03 more per gallon than last year. Find the lowest gas prices on your travel route with the AAA Mobile App.

Highest gas prices 

This Thanksgiving, gas prices will be the highest they've ever been for the holiday, and nearly 30 cents per gallon higher than last year. However, more Americans plan to hit the road next week than during Thanksgiving last year, according to a recent GasBuddy study.

More details on Thanksgiving driving, including fuel price forecasts and travel trends, are available at gasbuddy.com/newsroom.