More Delawareans than ever will travel this Thanksgiving week, according to recently released forecasts from AAA.
Delaware’s estimates follow AAA’s national forecasts, which indicate there will be record-breaking travelers this year — nearly 80 million, to be more precise.
While AAA estimates that only 217,000 First State residents will travel for Thanksgiving, that’s still nearly a quarter of the state’s population.
Of those, more than 91% of travelers, or more than 198,000 Delaware residents, will drive. That is 1.8% more drivers than last year.
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“As travel demand continues to rise and trends evolve due to remote working opportunities and longer school holidays, we expect to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising,” said Jana Tidwell, manager of Public and Government. business for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Driving versus other forms of travel – what does AAA say?
While drivers will make up the lion’s share of travelers, more than 13,000 Delawareans, or about 6%, will fly, according to AAA plans. That is approximately 1.6% more air passengers than last year.
Other forms of travel, such as cruise ships, buses and trains, will see a 6% increase compared to last year, AAA said. An estimated 4,100 Delawareans will travel that way.
These figures are roughly in line with national increases estimated this year.
Nationally, 71.7 million motorists are expected to take to the road. That is 1.3 million, or 1.9%, more than in 2023.
Some of this increase, AAA said, may have to do with gas prices, which are lower this season than last.
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The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. However, oil prices have fallen this fall, which could help push the national average below $3 per gallon for the first time since 2021.
On Thursday, the average price nationally was $3.06. In Delaware it was $3.08.
That’s still lower than a year ago, when it was $3.29 nationally and $3.17 locally.
Wilmington Airport is booming
Those traveling by air this Thanksgiving won’t just be going to Philadelphia or Baltimore; some will also go to Wilmington Airport.
Researchers at Luxury Link, a travel website, used data from the Transportation Security Administration to map the differences between the country’s airlines during holiday and non-holiday times of the year. It showed that Wilmington Airport is experiencing one of the highest peaks in leisure travel in the country.
The numbers may be skewed due to ILG’s relative lack of data compared to more established airports, but Wilmington showed an +83% difference in passenger numbers between the Thanksgiving and winter holidays.
MORE: Wilmington Airport is adding more parking spaces as a new route schedule launches soon
The airport recently added more parking and renovated terminals, as well as a Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft.
The new aircraft comes at a time when new Avelo Airlines routes are expanding. A handful of routes originally scheduled to be reevaluated for the winter and early spring have also been extended through the end of April.
Reporter Molly McVety contributed to this report.
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This article originally appeared in Delaware News Journal: Delaware to see record number of Thanksgiving travelers: AAA forecast
