LINTHICUM, Md. — Holiday travel continues to bounce back since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
AAA projects this Thanksgiving to be the third busiest for travel since the service association started tracking travel back in 2000.
While this Thanksgiving is expected to be the third busiest for holiday travel, the busiest Thanksgiving was in 2005 and the second was in 2019, before the pandemic hit.
AAA expects nearly 55 million Americans will take off somewhere, traveling 50 miles or more from their home, during the long holiday weekend.
It's a 1.5% increase over 2021 and at 98% of pre-pandemic levels.
AAA defines the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, as the five-day period from Wednesday, November 23 to Sunday, November 27.
Travelers headed to BWI this holiday should expect it to be busy.
AAA representatives said air travel is up nearly 8% over last year, as 4.5 million Americans will be flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year.
It’s about 330,000 more passengers than last year.
Travel is almost back to normal as it is practically 99% close to the number of air passengers during Thanksgiving 2019, which was right before the pandemic.
Just like last year, analysts expect most travelers will drive to their destinations.
Nearly 49 million people are expected to hit the roads and travel at least 50 miles to get to their Thanksgiving dinner.
The numbers are similar to last year, only a 0.4% increase from 2021, while car travel over all is 2.5 down from 2019 when gas was a lot cheaper.
One thing to keep in mind at the airport is that parking spaces can fill up fast.
Travelers should not only give themselves a lot of extra time in case they need to circle around looking for a space, but also to take the shuttle if they park in long term parking.
Shuttle buses can fill up fast and travelers don't want to be left standing at the curb, waiting for bus after bus.
