WICHITA, Kan. – Nov. 20, 2024 – AAA is projecting a record-setting travel volume for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, across America and here in the Sunflower State.
Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, trends and tips from AAA:
- 861,580 – Number of Kansans who will travel 50 miles or more from home for the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday travel period (Nov. 26-Dec. 2), an increase of 2% from 2023.
- 90.4% – Percentage of Kansas travelers who will drive to their Thanksgiving holiday destination. The 779,245 road trippers is a 1.4% increase from last year.
- 2 – Number of people who died in the 1,156 traffic crashes (30 of them alcohol-related) during the 2023 Thanksgiving holiday on Kansas roads. Those crashes also resulted in 258 injuries. AAA urges drivers to slow down, avoid distracted and impaired driving, and have all people in the vehicle wear seatbelts.
- 79.9 million – Number of travelers nationwide AAA projects will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2.1% increase compared to 2023 and 2.7% increase 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 2023.
- $2.70 – Kansas average cost per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, as of 11/19/24, about 30 cents less than the average one year ago and 6th lowest in the nation. (Source: https://gasprices.aaa.com/)
- 28% – Increase in price of domestic hotels this Thanksgiving week compared to last year.
- 2.1% – Percent increase in the number of people who will travel by air nationwide this Thanksgiving holiday compared to last year. Kansas air travel will be up 1.7%.
- 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.
- $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. Kansas travel by other modes is up 12.9% 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.
- 2,448 – Number of calls AAA Kansas emergency roadside service crews responded to 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
- Top 3 reasons motorists call for AAA emergency roadside assistance:
Be sure to have your vehicle inspected and serviced to make sure it’s road-ready for your holiday trip.
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:
- KanDrive.gov – Kansas Department of Transportation 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.
