Travel

Auto Club: Thanksgiving Travel Bouncing Back in a Big Way

This year will be the second-busiest Thanksgiving travel volume on record for the region, just 3% below Thanksgiving 2019.

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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 25: Holiday travelers pass through Los Angeles international Airport on Thanksgiving eve as the COVID-19 spike worsens and stay-at-home restrictions are increased on November 25, 2020 in West Hollywood, California. Starting today, travelers arriving to Los Angeles by airplane or train are required to sign a form acknowledging California’s recommendation of a 14-day self-quarantine. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti has warned that the virus is “threatening to spiral out of control” in the region, and that at the current rate of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, there will not be enough hospital beds by Christmastime. Despite pleas from health officials to not gather with people outside of ones household, more than 2 million Americans are projected to fly for Thanksgiving. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Pandemic-weary Angelenos will be hitting the roads and airways in large numbers this Thanksgiving, with about 4.4 million Southern California residents expected to travel for the holiday, according to estimates released Tuesday by the Auto Club.

The anticipated number of holiday travelers marks a 16% jump from last year. According to the Automobile Club of Southern California, this year will be the second-busiest Thanksgiving travel volume on record for the region, just 3% below the 4.5 million people who traveled for Thanksgiving in 2019.

"This is a remarkable comeback for travel, especially considering that cruises and some other modes of transportation have only recently restarted," Filomena Andre, the Auto Club's vice president for travel products and services, said in a statement. "To help meet consumer demand, AAA is hiring travel advisers. We are also strongly recommending that people not wait to book trips in 2022 because there are deals and availability that are being offered now that will go fast."

According to the Auto Club, the top five destinations for Southern California Thanksgiving travelers will be San Diego, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Santa Barbara/Central Coast.

Nationally, Anaheim is expected to be the second-most popular holiday destination for travelers, thanks to Disneyland. Anaheim will be second only to another Disney hub -- Orlando, Florida.

Nationwide, the Auto Club is predicting this Thanksgiving will be the third busiest on record, with 53.4 million travelers, trailing only behind the 56 million from 2019 and 53.7 million in 2018.

Of the 4.4 million anticipated Southern California travelers, 3.8 million are expected to travel by car, while 494,000 will travel by air, and 79,000 will use some other means, such as a bus or cruise ship.

The Auto Club noted that the increase in travel will come at a time when Southern California residents are paying the highest gas prices ever on the Thanksgiving holiday, with an average price of about $4.50 per gallon.

According to the Auto Club, analysts from the transportation firm INRIX have determined that the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, Nov. 24, will be the busiest times for Southland freeways. The stretch of the Golden State (5) Freeway between Colorado Street and Florence Avenue is predicted to see the heaviest congestion, with traffic volume at 385% above normal levels.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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