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AAA Predicts Booming Christmas Season Travel
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AAA is predicting a bumper Christmas travel season, forecasting a total of 109.5 million people will hit the roads and the skies over the festive holidays.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – and the new omicron variant – AAA’s report is suggesting 6.4 million people will travel by air, nearly tripling the number reported in 2020.
'Tis the Season: More than 109 Million Americans to Travel for the Holidays https://t.co/idfnJiRzWg via @AAAnews
— AAA (@AAAnews) December 14, 2021
The number of people traveling is expected to bring this year’s numbers to 92 percent of 2019 levels and airlines could see a whopping 184 percent increase over last year.
“Americans who canceled their vacations in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year, although they will still be mindful of the pandemic and the new omicron variant,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “With vaccines widely available, conditions are much different and many people feel a greater level of comfort with travel.”
According to AAA, road trips remain the top mode of travel this holiday and despite rising gas prices, over 100 million people are expected to hit the highways to get to their destinations. 3 million people are booking buses, trains, and cruises.
AAA reports these are the top U.S. destinations for the holidays:
Orlando, Florida
Anaheim, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
New York, New York
Kahalui, Maui, Hawaii (tied with New York)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Miami, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Phoenix, Arizona
San Diego, California
