AAA: Holiday Travel to Hit Record Numbers for Christmas and New Year’s

AAA projects a record-setting 3.6 million Georgians will travel 50 miles between December 23 and January 1 for the Christmas/New Year holidays.

They say that’s a little over 99,000 (2.8%) more Georgia travelers than last year.

“AAA has seen steady year-over-year growth in travel demand, culminating with what is expected to be the busiest year-end holiday travel season on record in Georgia, and the second-busiest nationwide,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel. With a record number of travelers, the roads, airports, and cruise lines will be more crowded than normal. So finalize your travel plans now, anticipate longer lines, and give yourself extra time to get to your destination.”

AAA said drivers can expect to pay about the same or less for a gallon of gas than they did last holiday season, when the Georgia average on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day was $2.70 and $2.76, respectively.

Georgians are now paying $2.40 more to fill up at the pump compared to a month ago.

And they predict several days of potentially bad traffic during the 10-day holiday period.

Saturday, December 23, and Thursday, December 28, will be the most congested days on the road.

INRIX also says Saturday, December 30, when many people will be heading back home from their holiday destinations or traveling for New Year’s Eve, will see an increase in traffic compared to a normal Saturday.

So the best times to travel on the 30th AAA says will be before lunchtime or after 7 p.m.

If you’re planning to fly to your holiday destination, AAA expects airports to be the busiest they’ve ever been throughout the Christmas and New Year’s travel period.

They project that nearly 193,890 Georgians will take a commercial flight, which is 6,950 more than last year.

Nationally, they project 7.5 million air travelers this holiday, which is 200,000 more than the previous record set in 2019.

Average ticket prices are slightly lower than last year.

According to AAA booking data, the average price for a roundtrip ticket to Orlando this holiday season is $613, down from $735 last year.

“AAA recommends booking flights as early as possible to ensure the best combination of price and availability,” Haas said. “Those waiting until the last minute could catch a discount but may have fewer options in terms of non-stop flights and seat availability. Whenever you book, it’s important to consider travel insurance.”

Additionally, the number of people traveling by other modes, like bus, train, and cruise, is projected to surpass 2019.

AAA expects more than 4 million Americans will take alternative transportation over Christmas and New Year’s compared to 3.66 million in 2022 and 3.89 million in 2019.

Demand for cruises has skyrocketed post-pandemic, and the industry is now preparing for the wave of bookings that traditionally happens at the start of the new year.