With Memorial Day barely two weeks away, AAA is forecasting a big return to holiday travel, but not enough to return to 2019 levels. It’s forecasting Americans will hit the road, sky and rails for Memorial Day at a rate 60% above last year, but still 13% below the year before.
Last year’s 23 million who made trips greater than 50 miles from home was the lowest since the automobile club started keeping track in 2000. In last year’s drop the hardest hit segment was air travel, which dwindled to record low levels, while road trips in the family car were affected less.
That said, it’s no surprise to anyone following recent news that air travel is increasing rapidly, and AAA is predicting a 577% increase over last year, to 2.5 million holiday trips. Auto road trips are predicted up 52% to a level only 9% below 2019, while air traffic will still be down 13%. TSA has reported clearing over a million passengers a day in recent weeks, with a record 1.7 million for Mothers Day.
While AAA is pushing its services, including new digital versions of its Tour Books and its travel agency services, it’s also making a strong recommendation to travelers to stay aware of cancelation and change charges in case of any unexpected development with Covid-19.
