Holiday traffic expected to break records next week
Traffic next week will likely break records as millions of people travel by land and air to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving.
Spokesperson Clay Ingram, of AAA Alabama, said about 79.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more next week, with 71.7 million traveling in motor vehicles. He said this is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019.
“Thanksgiving is always the busiest travel holiday of the year, and this is going to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel holiday period of all time,” Ingram said.
Ingram attributes the expected growth in holiday traffic next week to decent weather and the four-day weekend that gives people more time to travel.
“We’re just seeing increases across the board, whether it’s car or air travel or train travel, and we’re seeing a noticeable increase in people who go on cruises during this Thanksgiving holiday,” Ingram said. “Going back 10 or 12 years, it’s been a popular trend for a family to take a family cruise somewhere.”
Dana Griffin, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Huntsville, said while temperatures will drop this week, with the first freeze of the fall season possible, they will rise next week and, despite some rain, traffic conditions should be suitable.
“Skies should be clearing this week, so it should be some nice weather but noticeably cooler,” Griffin said. He said overnight temperatures Thursday and Friday will be in the 30s. “Highs will struggle to get out of the low to mid 50s, in fact they may not even rise above 50 degrees on Friday.”
Griffin said Friday night and Saturday morning should have lows just below 32 degrees with a potential for frost to develop.
“As we get into the holiday week, temperatures will probably climb back up into the 60s,” Griffin said. “Lows will get back into the 40s or 50s. The big thing for Thanksgiving, and our forecast doesn’t go out that far, we’ve got some rain coming into the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday next week. So, it’s very likely those rain chances will continue on Thanksgiving.”
According to GasBuddy, gas prices in Alabama averaged $2.69 per gallon on Monday, a decrease of 14.7 cents per gallon from last month and 16.9 cents lower than a year ago. Ingram said that while lower gas prices may ease the financial strain of commuting, they are unlikely to significantly impact traffic this year.
“It’s great to have these gas prices under $3 a gallon, but it’s not something that usually keeps people at home,” Ingram said. “Even if gas prices are up really high, like when prices were almost at $4 a gallon, it really didn’t affect travel that much. When prices are lower like they are now, it just gives you more breathing room and flexibility.”
Ingram said air travel traffic this Thanksgiving is also expected to break records, with an estimated 5.84 million domestic flights — a 2% increase over last year and an 11% increase over 2019. He said international flights are also up 23% compared to last Thanksgiving.
Mary Swanstrom, public relations manager for Huntsville International Airport, said while they will not release reports on flight data until January, she predicts the airport will have had more airline passengers this year than in 2023.
“We had 1.47 million passengers in 2023, so we anticipate from what we’ve seen that we are probably going to break that record,” Swanstrom said.
Swanstrom said an overflow parking lot is currently being constructed near Four Points by Sheraton Huntsville Airport and Sunset Landing Golf Course, but she does not think it will be completed in time for the holidays this year.
“We want to encourage people that if you are picking someone up to use the cellphone waiting lot on Glenn Hearn Boulevard and that will alleviate some of the congestion around the front of the terminal,” Swanstrom said.
