Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — It’s the most wonderful time of the year — once you get where you’re going.
U.S. holiday travelers this season can expect an increase in traffic both in the air and on the ground, according to industry projections. In fact, one group’s forecast indicates more Americans will travel this year-end holiday season than ever before.
Hitting the Road
Data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) says more than 103 million Americans are expected to travel during this year’s holiday period.
According to AAA, the vast majority of them will be hoping in a car and taking to the nation’s roadways. The group projects 93.6 million people will take a road trip, an increase of 1.5 percent over last year.
Lower gas prices and increased consumer spending are both driving forces behind the increase, according to the study.
The Airlines
Airlines for America, the industry trade organization representing many of the nation’s largest airlines, projects a 3.5 percent increase over last year’s holiday travel period in passengers flying on U.S. airlines around the world.
A total of 45.2 million passengers will fly on the nation’s domestic airlines during the 21-day period that began on Dec. 16, according to A4A. To keep up, the airlines will add 99,000 additional seats per day, a 3.9 percent increase over last year.
The busiest days in the sky are expected to be Dec. 22 and Dec 23. If you hate the crowds and are willing to wait, it may be wise to leave on Christmas Eve when projections indicate a lighter travel day.
The busiest airports this holiday season won’t surprise the seasoned traveler. Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver and Charlotte are projected to carry a great deal of the weight during the travel rush.
Top Destinations on Christmas Eve
For those on the ground, navigation app Waze studied its user’s destinations on last year’s Christmas Eve. The data reflected the many folks waiting till the last minute for their Christmas shopping. Trips to shopping locations increased 16% over the typical December day. Trips to the grocery store increased 34 percent.
But not all Christmas Eve errands are about procrastination.
Last year’s data from Waze users showed an increase of 148 percent to places of worship on Christmas Eve than the typical December day.
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