Despite the historically high gasoline price, transportation predicts that 42 million people will hit the road this Fourth of July weekend as travel volumes inch closer to pre-pandemic numbers.
The AAA predicts 47.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home from June 30 through July 4, which is an increase of 3.7 percent over 2021. Independence day will be the second busiest since 2000, according to AAA.
Airlines experienced some turbulence at the start of summer travel with delays and frequent mass cancellations due to an influx of travelers with loosened COVID-19 restrictions. According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, U.S. airlines canceled more than 21,000 flights since the Memorial Day holiday weekend in May.
A federal court decision overturned the federal mask mandate in April 2022, which suspended the Transportation Security Administration’s mask requirement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) submitted an appeal to the U.S. Department of Justice to make masks mandatory to avoid federal fines. In June, the DOJ asked an appeals court to reverse the federal ruling.
Major airlines stopped requiring passengers to wear face masks on board planes last April after the requirement was dropped. The CDC recommends face masks for passengers aged two and older in indoor areas of public transportation and transportation hubs as an effective precaution for those who seek to avoid exposure to COVID in higher risk public spaces. CDC provides health recommendations for domestic travel during COVID-19 and for international travel on its website at CDC.gov.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier this month that it will lift its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 within a day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The AAA said the travel volume predicted this year is shy of the 2019 rate of 49 million travelers. Even with the national average price of gasoline exceeding $5, experts say car travel volume will break previous records as 42 million opt to drive this Independence Day.
“The volume of travelers we expect to see over Independence Day is a definite sign that summer travel is kicking into high gear,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president, AAA Travel. “Earlier this year, we started seeing the demand for travel increase and it’s not tapering off. People are ready for a break and despite things costing more, they are finding ways to still take that much-needed vacation.”
According to the AAA recent issues with air travel and ongoing concerns of cancellations and delays may be driving this increase. Their predictions show people traveling by air will be at the lowest since 2011.
“Even with gas hitting record prices, travelers are still eager to hit the road this summer. We expect nationwide travel times to increase about 50% compared to normal. Drivers around major metro areas must be prepared for significantly more delays,” says Bob Pishue, Transportation Analyst, INRIX. “Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic. Our advice is to avoid traveling on Thursday and Friday afternoon.”
Experts said the best time to travel on Thursday is before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m., Friday before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m, and Saturday before 12 p.m. and after 7 p.m. Low congestion is expected throughout Sunday and Monday.
