1.7 million Michiganders are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, according to AAA.
Over 1.7 million Michiganders are anticipated by AAA to travel at least 50 miles during the extended Thanksgiving weekend. This total, which accounts for cars, aircraft, and other modes of transportation, is roughly 2.5% higher than it was the previous year.
Additionally, according to AAA spokesperson Adrienne Woodland, travel numbers for the November holiday have increased for the third year in a row following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, Woodland stated, “that’s also the third highest Thanksgiving travel forecast, just behind 2005 and 2019 respectively.”
The westbound I-96 commute from Detroit to Grand Rapids may be especially congested as people leave town. AAA estimates that the drive could take up to three hours, which is a 35% increase over average.
Although Thanksgiving road trips in Michigan are almost at pre-pandemic record levels, according to Woodland, taking a flight is more popular than ever. According to her, this week will see almost 180,000 state residents departing from airports.
According to Woodland, “the number of people expected to travel for Thanksgiving is actually going to set a record for air travel in Michigan since AAA started compiling these numbers back in 2000.”
For the 1.5 million Michiganders who choose to stay on the roads for the holiday, Woodland reported that regular unleaded petrol is currently priced at $3.27 per gallon in the state. That is approximately 40 cents less than what it would have cost in 2022.
Return traffic on local roads is expected to be at its peak between 3 p.m. andOn Saturday and Sunday, until 5 p.m. According to the auto association, Sunday is going to be the busiest day for people returning to town by plane.
