Wilmington-based AAA Mid-Atlantic estimates more than 132,000 Delaware residents will travel 50 miles or more away from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Binety percent of those travelers will get to their holiday destinations by car and will likely see the lowest gas prices since 2008.
“This Thanksgiving, we will see the most Americans carving out time to visit friends and family since 2007,” said Ken Grant, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Most Delawareans will take a tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding just over $2.10 per gallon.”
Nationally, AAA projects 48.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, an increase of one million travelers compared with last year. This projection represents a 1.9 percent increase over 2015, and the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, November 23, to Sunday, November 27.
Delaware: 2016 Projected Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers
| NUMBER OF TRAVELERS |
Total Population |
2016 Travelers |
% population traveling |
% change vs. 2015 |
| Delaware TOTAL Auto, Air & Other |
945,934* |
132,431 |
14.0% |
2.6% |
| Delaware Auto |
90.7% of people travel by car |
120,134 |
12.7% |
2.6% |
| Delaware Air |
7.1% of people travel by air |
9,459 |
1.0% |
2.2% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| National TOTAL |
325.2 million |
48.7 million |
15.0% |
1.9% |
| National Auto |
89.4% of people travel by car |
43.5 million |
13.4% |
1.9% |
| National Air |
7.6% of people travel by air |
3.7 million |
1.1% |
1.6% |
*U.S. Census Bureau/IHS Global Insight
Other facts
- 2016 marks the highest Thanksgiving holiday travel volume since 2007. Thanksgiving travel is spurred by improvements in the economy during the second half of the year, including rising wages, increased consumer spending and overall strength in consumer confidence.
- Total travel volume is increasing for the eighth consecutive year (growing 29 percent during the eight-year span).
- Auto travel will grow for the eighth consecutive year. Air travel will grow for the fifth.
- AAA Mid-Atlantic expects to rescue more than 800 motorists in Delaware — the primary reasons being dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts
- The busiest time to leave for your holiday destination by car is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving according to DelDOT toll plaza travel counts. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the most crowded if you’re flying.
- Despite recent incremental increases in the national average price of gasoline, AAA estimates U.S. drivers have saved more than $28 billion so far at the pumps this year compared to the same period last year.
During last year’s Thanksgiving holiday period (Wednesday, through Sunday), AAA Mid-Atlantic aided more than 800 motorists in Delaware. Reasons include dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts.
AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit. The complete AAA/IHS 2016 Thanksgiving holiday travel forecast can be found here.
