E-Paper
Memorial Day travel boom: 42 million Americans to hit roads and skies, chaos ahead for summer season
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday of May each year to remember the men and women died in military service.
Get ready for a busy Memorial Day weekend this year. The peak holiday weekend is projected to be one of the most crowded in over two decades, with over 42 million Americans expected to travel, marking a 7% increase compared to 2022. (ALSO READ: The role of African Americans in Memorial Day's birth: Uncovering the contested origins)
Airports expected to be swamped
Most holiday-goers will be taking to the skies. U.S. airports are predicted to be particularly busy from Thursday to Monday, with an anticipated 17% increase in seat capacity compared to last year.
The busiest travel day is expected to be Friday, with over 3.5 million airplane seats projected to be filled by passengers. Major airlines such as United, Delta, and American are preparing for significant increases in passenger numbers compared to last year's Memorial Day weekend.
Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Los Angeles are expected to be among the busiest airports this weekend, each handling more than half a million departing passengers over the weekend. (ALSO READ | Memorial Day spoiler alert: Potential tropical disturbance stirs up the Atlantic ahead of 2023 hurricane season)
High traffic on the roads
In an attempt to avoid busy airports and save money, many will opt for road trips. About 37.1 million U.S. travellers are set to hit the roads for the holiday, marking a 6% increase from last year12. The busiest time on the roads is expected to be on Friday afternoon, with the lightest traffic anticipated on Thursday and Friday mornings, and after 6 pm on the weekend.
Despite the challenges and anticipated chaos, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed optimism, noting that airlines' on-time performance has improved in the last few months, with cancellations below 2%, lower than last year's cancellation rate of 2.7%.
A busy summer ahead
The Memorial Day weekend is just the beginning, setting the stage for a potentially chaotic summer travel season. As many popular destinations were closed for tourism this time last year, the demand for summer travel, particularly international, remains high.
