Worst Holiday Travel Delays

Here's When Holiday Travel Delays Will Be the Worst

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More than 107 million Americans will be traveling this year.

JAMIE DUCHARME 

If you're traveling for the holidays this year, you're in very, very good company. A new AAA report predicts a record-breaking 107.3 million Americans will be hitting the roads, rails and skies this year — leading potential pandemonium on the heaviest travel days.


In major cities across the country, the afternoons and evenings of Wednesday and Thursday (Dec. 20 and 21) will be the worst days to travel, according to AAA.

Drivers in the New York area, for example, could see travel times triple if they're on the roads between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Those delays are in large part due to the fact that most holiday travelers — some 97.4 million — are expected to drive. Another 6.4 million are projected to fly, while the remaining 3.5 million will be dispersed among trains, buses, rails and cruise ships, the report says.

If you'll be among the masses driving to your holiday destination, AAA recommends hitting the road early in the morning or after the morning commute, or driving on the actual day of a holiday.

Thanksgiving travel was also heavy this year, with 51 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles away from their homes, according to another report from AAA. The company's new data says holiday travel figures have risen steadily for the past nine years — and ballooned by 21.6 million since 2005 — in large part thanks to "the strong economy and growing consumer confidence."