Arizonans will take to the roads and skies in near-record numbers this Thanksgiving weekend as holiday travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.
More than 1.12 million Arizonans are expected to be among the 55.4 million people nationwide expected to travel 50 miles or more over the upcoming holiday weekend, AAA Arizona says.
The projected number of Arizona travelers is up 3% from 2022 and is surpassed only by record volume in 2005, while the nationwide forecast is up 2.3% from last year and the third-largest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2001.
“Travel demand has truly bounced back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Brian Ng, senior vice president at AAA Arizona. “Our holiday travel projections show the year-long trend of Arizonans’ eagerness to get away and create memories with family and friends.”
AAA expects 49 million or 88% of U.S. holiday travelers to drive to their destination, up 1.7% from 2022, while 8.5% or more than 4.7 million people plan to fly to their holiday destinations, up 6.6% from last year.
Ready your ride
To avoid problems on the road, AAA reminds motorists to perform pre-trip inspections of their vehicles, plan ahead to find the cheapest gas or electric-car chargers, and budget carefully amid gas prices that remain high despite a recent decline.
Statewide, Arizona gas prices are about 47 cents lower than last year, according to AAA.
To avoid holiday traffic, motorists should consider driving during off-peak periods — before 11 a.m. or after 6 p.m. — especially on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, AAA says.
Frenzied skies
Tucson International Airport is readying for a busy holiday weekend, with more than 13,000 travelers expected to pass through the airport daily.
The airport expects to see its busiest travel days on Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving.
Airlines serving Tucson are geared up to meet demand with 6% more travelers between Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 compared to the same period last year, with about 88,000 total passengers for those eight days, TIA says.
Some helpful tips from TIA:
Leave early. Transportation Security Administration security checks and airline processing could take longer than usual. About 70% of airline passengers travel once a year or less and may not be familiar with the security process.
Expect your flight to be full, even on slower travel days. Airlines have scheduled fewer flights on slower travel days, so the flights that are operating will still be full.
Check with your airline for the most up-to-date flight status information.
