The long Thanksgiving weekend looks in many ways to be a return to normal life. In the United States, there are strong indications that people are returning to their normal travel patterns, with nearly 53.4 million travelers expected over the period. On the day before Thanksgiving, there were nearly 2.31 million travelers at airports.
In the United States, Thanksgiving marks a return to regular holiday travel. The American Automobile Association (AAA) has forecast nearly 53.4 million travelers for the long weekend from Wednesday, November 24 to Sunday, November 28. According to the forecast figures released by AAA, 48.3 million are expected to travel by road while 4.2 million are expected to travel by air. Compared to last year, 13% more travelers are expected.
Most industry professionals agree that levels are almost at pre-pandemic levels. "It's not normal, but it's getting closer to it," Mike Haggerty, president of Austin's ThunderCloud Subs sandwich shop, told the New York Times.
And the numbers indeed look to be heading in this direction. According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the number of travelers in American airports reached 2.31 million on Wednesday, November 24. On the same date, two years ago, they were nearly 2.62 million. Last year at this time, passengers numbered barely one million.
Although flight forecasts for this vacation season forecast such a resurgence of travelers, the numbers seem to be confirming it.
