AAA predicts record-breaking Christmas, New Year’s travel numbers for Florida
Are you traveling for Christmas this year? You'll be in good company. And by good, we mean a lot.
Auto Club AAA is predicting that Floridians will break their own record from 2022 with an estimated 6.6 million of us traveling 50 miles or more during the year-end holiday period from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1. That's nearly 218,000 more Florida travelers packing the roads and airport terminals than last year (a 3.4% increase), not including visitors from out of state.
“AAA has seen steady year-over-year growth in travel demand, culminating with what is expected to be the busiest year-end holiday travel season on record in Florida, and the second-busiest nationwide,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA. “Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel. With a record number of travelers, the roads, airports and cruise lines will be more crowded than normal. So finalize your travel plans now, anticipate longer lines, and give yourself extra time to get to your destination.”
Gas prices are helping. "As 2023 comes to a close, drivers can expect to pay about the same or less for a gallon of gas than they did last holiday season," said AAA spokesman David Jenkins. "when the Florida average on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day was $2.99 and $3.24, respectively."
And people are traveling everywhere. AAA projects that nationally 115.2 million people will be traveling out there with you, the second-highest on record since the organization began tracking holiday travel in 2000. That's 2.5 million more than last year, AAA said. The record was set in 2019.
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How many people will be driving for Christmas and New Year's?
According to AAA, of the 6.6 million they project to be heading for parts unknown, 6 million of them will be behind the wheel, up from 5.8 million last year.
Will the airports be busy for Christmas and New Year's?
Yep. If you haven't yet. you might want to get your tickets now.
"Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been throughout the Christmas and New Year’s travel period." Jenkins said. "Nationally, AAA projects 7.5 million air travelers. That’s 200,000 more than the previous record set in 2019." It's also a little daunting when you remember the major meltdowns the airlines had last year, although Southwest Airlines has said the company is ready this time for another customer and weather onslaught.
In Florida, nearly 357,000 Floridians are forecast to take a commercial flight. That's higher than last year, 15,000 more people, but just the second-highest air travel volume on record, behind 2003's total of 399,000.
Average ticket prices are slightly lower than last year, Jenkins said. According to AAA booking data, the average price for a roundtrip ticket to Orlando — the most popular domestic destination this holiday season — is $613, down from $735 last year. (Although if you're planning a Disney trip, you might want to consider shooting for January.)
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Will trains, buses and cruises be busy for Christmas and New Year's?
Here we should see another record year, so get your tickets now. AAA projects that more than 4 million Americans will be traveling by other methods such as buses, trains, and cruises over the holidays, compared to 3.66 million in 2022 and 3.89 million in 2019.
In Florida, 266,303 people are expected to take these alternate forms of travel, up from 244,753 in 2022 and 230,547 in 2019.
What will the weather be like for Christmas 2023?
It's too early for specifics, but the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center's week 3-4 outlook suggests warmer-than-normal temperatures along the northwestern coast of the U.S. into the north-central areas, normal temps from north-central to the East Coast, and cooler weather for the southeast, with an up to 70% chance of above-normal precipitation for Florida between Dec. 16 to Dec. 29.
What are the best times to drive during the holidays? What are the worst?
According to transportation data site INRIX, there are definitely going to be some days to stay off the road if you can. Saturday, Dec. 23, Thursday, Dec. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 30 will be the most congested days on the road, INRIX said.
“Nationwide, drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer this holiday season," said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, with double the typical delays possible in major metro areas.
Saturday, Dec. 23: Worst travel time: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | Best travel time: Before 10 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 24: Minimal travel expected
Monday, Dec. 25: Minimal travel expected
Tuesday, Dec. 26: Worst travel time: 1-5 p.m. | Best travel time: Before noon.
Wednesday, Dec. 27: Worst travel time: 1-7 p.m. | Best travel time: Before noon
Thursday, Dec. 28: Worst travel time: 2-8 p.m. | Best travel time: Before noon
Friday, Dec. 29: Worst travel time: 2-8 p.m. | Best travel time: Before noon
Saturday, Dec. 30: Worst travel time: 5-7 p.m. | Best travel time: Before noon
Sunday, Dec. 31: Minimal travel expected
Monday, Jan. 1: Minimal travel expected
What are the top holiday travel destinations in 2023?
Orlando topped the list for domestic travel this year, with London, England the top international destination.
According to AAA, the top domestic destinations are:
Orlando, Florida
Anaheim, California
Chicago, Illinois
Charlotte, North Carolina,
Miami, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Las Vegas, Nevada
New York City, New York
Phoenix, Arizona
Houston, Texas
The top international destinations are:
London, England
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Aruba
Dublin, Ireland
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Rome, Italy
Reykjavík, Iceland
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Costa Rica
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: AAA: Floridians to break travel records for Christmas, New Year's
