AAA projects largest volume of Thanksgiving travelers since 2005

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Travel by car, plane, and train are all expected to increase this Thanksgiving as 50.9 million Americans have trips of 50 miles or more planned – the most since 2005 – AAA reported on Thursday.

Despite gas prices averaging three-year highs, 89 percent of travelers will travel by car, a year-over increase of 3.2 percent. Other travelers will take advantage of roundtrip airfare averaging $157, 23 percent less than last year and the lowest average since 2012.

“Thanksgiving kicks off the start of a busy holiday season, and more thankful Americans will travel to spend time with friends and family this year,” Bill Sutherland, the senior vice president of travel and publishing at AAA, said. “A strong economy and labor market are generating rising incomes and higher consumer confidence, fueling a strong year for the travel industry, which will continue into the holiday season.”

Rental car prices averaging $70 per day – 34 percent more than last year – will be the highest since 2013. Highway travelers will also contend with “traffic hot spots’ in areas like Chicago, leading to delays of nearly 300 percent over the optimal trip.

“Thanksgiving has historically been one of the busiest holidays for road trips, and this year we could see record-level travel delays,” Bob Pishue, the transportation analyst at INRIX, said. “Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic.”

In most traffic hotspots, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday or Wednesday will be the worst time for travel.

AAA reports that travel by train, bus, and cruise is expected to increase 1.1 percent from last year, with 1.48 million travelers opting for alternate modes of transportation.