AAA projects 42.5M Americans will travel for Thanksgiving holiday

AAA forecasts 42.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a four percent increase from the 40.9 million people who traveled one year ago.

This is the first significant increase in any holiday travel this year. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as next Wednesda to next Sunday.

“AAA is projecting an increase in the number of Thanksgiving travelers this year, due mostly to pent-up demand from Americans who may have foregone Thanksgiving travel the last three years,” said Jim Lehman, executive vice president, AAA East Central.

While primary economic drivers continue to show improvement from one year ago, growth levels are not high enough to support a quick return to pre-recession levels of holiday travel. Rather, a slow climb back is expected from 2008, which was a decade-low year for Thanksgiving travel with only 37.8 million Americans taking a trip. With volumes still below historical averages, pent-up demand will be a contributing factor in increased holiday travel, despite current economic conditions, according to the AAA.