This
Memorial Day
The weekend is expected to witness the highest number of travelers since 2005, as
AAA
predictions indicate that over 45 million individuals will journey a distance exceeding 50 miles away from their homes.
Although this Memorial Day weekend doesn’t anticipate breaking the air travel record set in 2005 with 3.64 million passengers, figures suggest that this year’s traffic will exceed pre-pandemic levels by approximately 12%, as stated in a press release from AAA.
Here’s all the information you need regardless of whether you’re journeying by car or by plane this weekend:
Driving dominates Memorial Day weekend travel
According to AAA, approximately 39.4 million travelers, which makes up 87% of all Memorial Day travelers, plan to reach their destinations by automobile this weekend.
If your departure is set for Thursday, May 22, it would be ideal to hit the road before midday, whereas the period from 1 to 9 p.m. should generally be avoided when traveling by automobile.
If your departure is set for Friday, May 23, it would be ideal to hit the road before 11 a.m. Conversely, traveling between noon and 8 p.m. should be avoided as much as possible.
Visitors should plan to depart by early afternoon on Monday, May 26, before 2 p.m., since heavy traffic is expected from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. that day.
Here are the cities anticipated to experience the greatest demand for rental vehicles: Orlando and Miami in Florida; Denver located in Colorado; San Francisco within California; Las Vegas in Nevada; along with Seattle.
The most hectic days for parking a car last year were the Thursday and Friday preceding Memorial Day.
Many Americans still intend to travel by air.
Approximately 3.61 million individuals are anticipated to fly over the upcoming weekend, marking a 2% rise from the previous year and a 12% surge when contrasted with before pandemic levels. The highest number of airline passengers was recorded back in 2005.
Airlines anticipate having their peak passenger numbers on Thursday and Friday.
The significant increase in air passengers coincides with the implementation of the Real ID requirement for domestic flights starting on May 7. Nevertheless, those without a valid Real ID can still board using an expired passport as an alternate form of identification.
The Memorial Day weekend marks the final opportunity for Southwest customers to enjoy complimentary baggage checks. From Wednesday, May 28 onwards, Southwest travelers will need to pay an additional fee for checked luggage.
MILLIONS LACK REAL IDs. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS THE REGULATION COMES INTO FORCE
In the meantime, Newark Liberty Airport will function with decreased capacity due to recent system failures and air traffic controllers’ strikes. The Federal Aviation Administration has decided to limit operations to 56 flights per hour instead of the usual 70 flights per hour until mid-June.
Nobody is implementing this with the intention of annoying anyone,” stated Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “The purpose isn’t to disrupt travel either; our aim is ensuring safety.
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