ATLANTA — The summer holiday travel season officially kicks off the days before Memorial Day weekend and is expected to be busy.
Officials at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport said they are on track to pass pre-pandemic numbers.
As a result, they're asking travelers to be prepared, arriving at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international ones.
In its Memorial Day travel forecast, AAA projects 43.8 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the long weekend, close to 2005's record of 44 million.
“We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “We’re projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019, which not only means we’re exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.”
You can watch 11Alive's stream on traffic conditions below:
How are they traveling (According to AAA)
- By car: 38.4 million
- By plane: 3.51 million
- Other: 1.9 million
Cost of travel
This Memorial Day weekend, AAA says drivers can expect similar gas prices as last year when the national average was roughly $3.57. However, the website notes that prices may get higher as the summer goes on.
Meanwhile, air ticket prices over the holiday weekend are "comparable to last year," according to AAA. Further booking data indicates a 1% to 2% increase in prices for domestic flights.
Best/worst times to travel by car (AAA)
- Thursday, May 23
- Worst time: 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
- Best time: Before 11 a.m., after 7 p.m.
- Friday, May 24
- Worst time: 12:00 – 7:00 p.m.
- Best time: Before 11 a.m., after 8 p.m.
- Saturday, May 25
- Worst time: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
- Best time: Before 1 p.m., after 6 p.m.
- Sunday, May 26
- Worst time: 3:00 – 7:00 p.m.
- Best time: Before 1 p.m.
- Monday, May 27
- Worst time: 3:00 – 7:00 p.m.
- Best time: After 7 p.m.
