Thanksgiving travelers to face busy airports, roads as holiday travel period ramps up

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Many people may have already left for Thanksgiving week trips, but the holiday travel period is expected to kick into high gear Tuesday, with record-setting numbers of people expected to embark on journeys for the long weekend.

The Automobile Club of Southern California predicted that roughly 6.58 million Southern California residents are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, topping pre-pandemic travel numbers.

The projected travel number is a 2.8% increase over last year's record-setting figures. The Auto Club noted that for the first time, it has added the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the Monday after Thanksgiving to the holiday travel period, "to better capture the flow of holiday travelers." The travel period now covers seven days.

The 6.58 million prediction is 3.5% above the travel figures from 2019, prior to the COVID pandemic.

The vast majority of travelers, roughly 5.7 million, are expected to reach their destination by car, while 676,000 are expected to fly and 182,000 are expected to use other means, such as bus, train or cruise ship.

Nationally, 79.86 million people are expected to travel, making it the busiest Thanksgiving holiday season on record.

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"Travel volumes for major holidays this year have consistently surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and the Thanksgiving holiday will be no exception," Jena Miller, the Auto Club's vice president for travel products and services, said in a statement. "This trend highlights growing consumer confidence to travel as families and friends jump on the opportunity to reconnect, whether through shared vacations or trips to visit loved ones."

Auto Club officials noted that Southern Californians traveling by car will be paying the lowest average gas prices since the pandemic year of 2020, with the local average at about $4.50 per gallon.

Top destinations for Southern California travelers are expected to be San Diego, Las Vegas, the Central Coast, the Grand Canyon, Disneyland and California national parks.

Mexico will be the top cruise destination, while Hawaii is the top air travel destination, according to the Auto Club.

According to the transportation analysis firm INRIX, the period of 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday is expected to be the busiest time to travel by car, with travel times anticipated to be 38% longer than usual. The worst traffic congestion is anticipated on Wednesday before Thanksgiving on the northbound 5 Freeway between Los Angeles and Bakersfield. The 10 Freeway in Los Angeles and Riverside counties is also expected to be heavily congested, along with the 15 Freeway in San Diego County.