AAA expects 1M Kentuckians to travel for Thanksgiving

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Over a million Kentuckians are expected to travel this Thanksgiving holiday, contributing to national travel numbers that are expected to be record-breaking as nearly 80 million travel nationwide.

Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, trends and tips from AAA:

• 1,027,437– Number of Kentuckians who will travel 50 miles or more from home for the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday travel period (Nov. 26-Dec. 2), an increase of 1.7% from 2023.
  • 96% – Percentage of Kentucky travelers who will drive to their Thanksgiving holiday destination. The 986,702 taking to the roadways is also a 1.7% increase from last year.
• 16 – Number of people who died in the 2,493 traffic crashes (82 of the crashes alcohol-related and another 19 drug-related) on Kentucky roads during the seven-day 2023 Thanksgiving travel period (Nov. 21-27, 2023). Those crashes also resulted in 516 injuries. AAA urges drivers to slow down, never drive impaired or distracted, avoid aggressive behavior behind the wheel and ensure everyone is wearing seatbelts.
• 79.9 million – Number of travelers nationwide AAA projects will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2.1% increase (1.7M additional travelers) compared to 2023 and 2.7% increase (2 million additional travelers) over 2019.
  • 71.7 million – Number of travelers nationwide who will drive to their Thanksgiving destinations. This represents an additional 1.3 million road travelers during the holiday compared to the same seven-day Thanksgiving travel period in 2023.
• $2.78 – Kentucky average cost per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, as of 11/19/24, about 28 cents less than the average one year ago and 13^th lowest in the nation.
• 28% – Increase in the price of domestic hotels this Thanksgiving week compared to last year.
• 2% – Decrease in the cost of a domestic rental car during Thanksgiving week compared to 2023.
• 2.1% – Percent increase in the number of people who will travel by air nationwide this Thanksgiving holiday compared to last year. Kentucky air travel is predicted to increase by only 0.1% compared to 2023, with most of the increase in Kentucky travel from increases in road trips and cruises, not flights. About 27,157 Kentuckians are predicted to take to the skies.
• More than 3 million – The number of passengers expected to be security screened by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. TSA says it may exceed the previous record when it screened 3 million travelers on July 7 this past summer. Because the TSA counts screenings and not travelers, the numbers are not comparable to AAA’s forecast, which is based on number of travelers.
• $700 – Average price for a domestic roundtrip flight for Thanksgiving holiday travel, based on AAA Travel bookings. This is 3% higher than last year.
• 2.3 million – Number of people nationwide expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. This an increase of 9% compared to last year. In Kentucky, 13,578 are expected to travel by other modes, up 3.3% this year compared to 2023.
• $1,170 – Average cost of cruises departing from U.S. cities this Thanksgiving holiday, 28% cheaper compared to the same time last year.
• 5,667 – Number of calls AAA emergency roadside service crews responded to in Kentucky during the 2023 Thanksgiving travel period.
  • Top 3 reasons motorists call for AAA emergency roadside assistance:
    • Vehicle breakdown requiring a tow
    • Dead battery
    • Tire problems
  • Be sure to have your vehicle inspected and serviced to make sure it’s road-ready for your holiday trip.

Best/Worst Days for Travel this Thanksgiving travel period:

• Worst times to travel by car: Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon
• Best times: anytime Thanksgiving Day – and in the morning the other days
• Returning home – avoid Sunday afternoon and Monday rush hour

Top Domestic Destinations for this Thanksgiving, based on AAA Travel bookings:

• Orlando, FL
• Miami, FL
• Fort Lauderdale, FL
• New York, NY
• Anaheim/Los Angeles, CA
• Tampa, FL
• Honolulu, HI
• San Francisco, CA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Atlanta, GA

Top International Destinations:

• Budapest, Hungary
• Mexicali, Mexico
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Cancun, Mexico
• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Rome, Italy
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Paris, France
• Barcelona, Spain
• Munich, Germany

Other helpful tools:

• GoKy.ky.gov– Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website for details on road construction, detours and road conditions.
• AAA Mobile App – Available for free on Google Play and the Apple App store, this app allows motorists to find the cheapest gas price near their location, request AAA emergency roadside assistance, tap in to discounts and rewards, book travel and more.

AAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to more than 65.2 million members nationwide and more than 643,000 members in Kentucky.

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