US braces for one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel seasons in years as 81.8M Americans hit the roads, skies

The U.S. is bracing for one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel seasons in years, with millions of Americans hitting the roads and soaring through the skies to see loved ones.

AAA predicts that out of the 81.8 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles away for the holiday, 73 million will be going by car. The auto club warns that this number could grow if some choose to drive instead of fly due to flight cancellations.

AAA noted that its car rental partner, Hertz, said that Wednesday would be the busiest day for pickup, with the top five markets with the highest demand being Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Newark. Additionally, AAA said its booking data shows domestic car rentals are 15% cheaper compared to last Thanksgiving.

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While it may be busier on the roads, it will also be cheaper to drive home for holiday meals this year. 

GasBuddy predicted a national average of $3.02 per gallon over the holiday, matching last year's price. Both 2024 and 2025 now share the distinction of marking the lowest Thanksgiving gas prices since the pandemic, when the national average hit $3.39 a gallon in 2021 and $3.56 in 2022.

Ahead of the holiday celebrations, AAA and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are reminding travelers that driving while impaired makes the roads dangerous for everyone. Both AAA and MADD are urging drivers to have a plan before imbibing by using a rideshare app, taking public transit or designating a sober driver.

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Airports are also expected to be busy over the week. The Federal Aviation (FAA) Administration said over 360,000 flights were scheduled during the Thanksgiving travel period. However, it expects to have "solid staffing" to manage the extra travelers.

The FAA predicted this Thanksgiving travel period to be the busiest in 15 years, noting that Nov. 25 was the peak travel day with more than 52,000 flights. 

Despite the rush, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford was optimistic that the FAA would be prepared to tackle the challenge.

"Thanks to the dedication of our air traffic controllers and every FAA employee, we are ready for the holiday rush and take pride in helping travelers reach their friends and families during this important time of year," Bedford said in a statement. "I am deeply grateful to our entire FAA team. Even through a period of record-high traffic, their unwavering commitment keeps the system running safely."

To help make some of the chaos more pleasant, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging more civility in travel with the Department of Transportation's new "Golden Age of Travel" campaign. He's encouraging Americans to be kinder and considerate of one another, and to dress respectfully when flying.

"There's no question we've lost sight of what makes travel fun - the excitement, the relaxation, the cordial conversations," the Department of Transportation's statement on the campaign reads. "Americans already feel divided and stressed. We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners, and common sense."

An FAA chart showing how many flights have been scheduled for each day of the Thanksgiving travel period indicates that Thursday will have the least number of flights with just over 25,600 scheduled compared to Tuesday's 52,185 flights. Meanwhile, the FAA believes air travel will pick up again, with Sunday having 51,268 flights scheduled, almost as many as Nov. 25.

Fox News Digital's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.