How Many People Traveling This Thanksgiving?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Travel group AAA estimates, in all,

53.4 million

people will travel for the Thanksgiving , up 13% from 2020, with air travel recovering to about 91% of pre-pandemic levels.

Are people traveling for Thanksgiving 2021?

AAA predicts

53.4 million people will travel this week

, up 13% from 2020′s COVID-19 holiday. Those numbers bring travel volumes within 5% of pre-pandemic levels of 2019, with air travel in particuarly almost completely recovering from its fall during the pandemic, increasing 80% over last year.

How many people travel this holiday?


More than 110 million

Americans to travel for holidays despite COVID-19 surge. Despite the nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases, more than 110 million Americans are hitting the roads and crowding airports at near pre-pandemic levels, according to AAA. Last year, only about 80 million traveled for the holidays.

How many people in America are traveling by car and by plane on Thanksgiving?

Airports and roads will be especially crowded this year, AAA says, with 48.3 million people forecasted to take a Thanksgiving road trip and

4.2 million passengers boarding planes

. An additional 1 million travelers will take other forms of transport, including trains, buses, or cruises.

How many people are traveling this Thanksgiving 2021?

Characteristic Number of travelers in millions
2021


53.4
2020 50.6 2019 55.3 2018 54.3

What's the best day to fly around Thanksgiving 2021?

Best Departure Dates Best Return Dates
Monday, November 22

Saturday, November 27
Tuesday, November 23 Monday, November 29 Thursday, November 25 Tuesday, November 30

What were the most popular Thanksgiving Day 2020 products sold?

According to a survey conducted in 2020, the most popular Thanksgiving dishes in the United States were

turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing or dressing

.

How many people traveled 2020 holidays?

2021 Year-end holiday travelers compared to previous years Total Automobile 2020 Actual

81.7 M

78.5 M
2019 Actual 119.3 M 108 M Change (2019 to 2021) −8.2% −7.3%

How much did travel increase in 2021?

In a survey of over 10,000 Americans, Harvest Hosts has found that they have plans of increased travel this year. Most Americans, according to the study, are planning to travel more this year than they did in 2019—before the pandemic even hit.

How many Americans travel over the holidays?

Americans who had their travel plans dashed in 2020 are making up for lost times, with over 109 million people expected to travel over the holidays.

What is the busiest travel day during Thanksgiving?

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the busiest day of the year for airports nationwide in 2019 was the

Sunday after Thanksgiving

. The agency screened more than 2.8 million people that day, the most ever in the agency's 20-year history.

Whats the biggest travel day of the year?

Most often,

December 23

is the busiest travel day preceding Christmas, while on the other side of the holiday, the Sunday after Christmas is the busiest travel day. According to Kayak data, that trend held in 2020, but in 2021, those dates are changing slightly.

What is the busiest flying day?

Weekends in General. Typically, flights are more expensive and airports more crowded on

Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays

as weekend and long-weekend trips are the most common for business and pleasure travelers.

Is it cheaper to fly on Thanksgiving or the day before?

Cheapest days to fly around Thanksgiving

During Thanksgiving week, about 45% of departure bookings are on Wednesday (

the day before Thanksgiving

), versus only 12% on the Monday before or 14% on Thanksgiving day itself.

Will turkeys be scarce this Thanksgiving?

Experts say that

there will be a turkey shortage of smaller frozen and fresh varieties

, which means if you fly solo or host smaller gatherings over the holidays due to COVID-19, you're more likely to be affected than, say, your aunt who has a 25-pound bird for her 30 guests every year.

What is the least popular Thanksgiving food?

  • Cranberry Sauce (29.92% dislike)
  • Turkey (28.09% dislike)
  • Sweet Potatoes or Yams (24.25% dislike)
  • Green Bean Casserole (24.61% dislike)
  • Stuffing or Dressing (23.42% dislike)
  • Coleslaw (21.68% dislike)
  • Ham (21.23% dislike)
  • Pumpkin Pie (20.77% dislike)

Which Thanksgiving items are most likely to be store bought?

The most-likely Thanksgiving items to be completely store-bought are

dinner rolls (56%) and cranberry sauce (54%)

. In this survey, YouGov also asked 983 US Adults who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving when they do their Turkey Day shopping.

How many people are expected to travel this year?


6.4 million

travelers are expected to fly during the holiday season This will represent a 184% increase from 2020 and bring the 2021 volume to 87% of 2019 levels. travel during the year-end holidays—27.7 million more than 2020 and just under 10 million fewer than 2019.

How many Americans expected to travel?

Total Air 2021 Forecast

109.5 million

6.4 million
2020 Actual 81.7 million 2.3 million 2019 Actual 119.3 million 7.3 million Change (2019 to 2021) -8.2% -12.6%
Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.