Busiest Thanksgiving Travel Period In 9 Years Expected, AAA Says
BOSTON (CBS) – Americans can expect a lot of company on their way to grandma's this Thanksgiving.
AAA says 48.7 million people will journey 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving. That's 1.9 percent more travelers than last year, and the most overall since 2007.
"Most will travel on the tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding at close to $2 per gallon," AAA CEO Marshall Doney said in a statement.
Driving is the most popular way to get around on Thanksgiving, and 43.5 million Americans are likely to be planning a road trip, AAA says. About 3.69 million will be flying to their Thanksgiving destination, up 1.6 percent from last year.
The agency also cites rising wages and other economic improvements as the key factor for the expected travel bump.