‘Tis the very busy season! Christmas time and the holidays are filled with traveling itineraries. AAA estimates 115.2 million Americans will head 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day winter holiday travel period. The number represents 2.2% more than last year in 2022.
Use eTags© to Quickly Complete Your DMV Service. Renewals, Title Transfers and More, All Online!
104 million to drive, 7.5 million to fly
This year, 104 million will drive to their winter holiday destinations. As far as those choosing to fly to their destinations, AAA estimates about 7.5 million passengers in the friendly skies. 4 million will enjoy other ways to get to their holiday destinations including by train, bus, and even cruise.
According to AAA, 2019 is still the busiest Christmas and New Year’s travel period with 119 million people traveling 50 mile or more from home
Best and worst time to hit the road
Saturday December 23 and Thursday December 28 seem to be the most congested days on the road. Traffic galore! On the 23, it’s best to leave before 10 am local time (wherever you are), while on the 28th its best to leave before noon. Saturday December 23, between 11am and 7pm accounts for the worst time to be on the road. For Thursday December 28, the worst time to drive is between 2pm and 8pm.
New Year’s travel by car
Saturday December 30th is a popular time for people to drive back home from their holiday destination or head out for their New Year’s Eve party. This makes the day bad for traffic. Best to get on the road before noon or after 7pm local time wherever you are. Sunday the 24th (Christmas eve) and the following Monday (Christmas day), traffic is minimal as people are spending time with loves ones and have typically already arrived to their holiday destination.
By Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday Dec. 26, before noon is best time to head out while traffic is still minimal on the road. Between 1pm and 5pm, you can expect congestion. The 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th best to drive before noon. The 31st when most people are already at their New Year’s destination, traffic is minimal.
2.8 million flying daily
When it comes to airfare, there are plenty of good details to help you prepare better for easier travels in the friendly skies. First, know that nearly 3 million passengers will be flying over the holiday season every day. American Airlines says Friday December 22nd will be its busiest day (over 6,000 flights) of a 19-day long travel period starting December 20th thru January 8, 2024. The airline is planning on having nearly 12.7 million passengers on over 110,000 flights.
SEE ALSO: HOW TO SURVIVE THREE TYPES OF DRIVING EMERGENCIES
American Airlines will have over 130,000 team members closing out 2023
Busiest time to fly, most popular destinations
The Federal Aviation Administration reports the busiest time will be on the Thursday before Christmas, on December 21, expecting to handle nearly 49,000 flights. Delta Air Lines forecasts serving 9 million passengers, counting 600,000 on December 21 and 22 each, plus from December 26 to 30. For United Airlines, they plant so serve 9 million passengers over the holiday rush.
In terms of the most popular winter holiday destinations, many are heading to warmer weather including Florida and the Caribbean. AAA says Orlando & Miami, FL, Anaheim, CA, Chicago, IL, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Las Vegas, NV, New York, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Houston TX are the most popular destinations in the U.S. International hotspots include London, Aruba, Dublin, Rome, and Montego Bay.
Safe travels, merry Christmas, and holiday holidays!
