(NewsNation) — Nearly 120 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles away from home over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The heavy traffic load of cars, buses, trains and airplanes over the coming two weeks could create snags in arrival times, but there are ways to make your holiday travel plans smoother.
The American Automobile Association estimates that 119.3 million Americans will venture away from home during the year-end holidays. The travel period extends from Saturday through Jan. 2. The agency’s domestic travel prediction would surpass a previous record set in 2019 by 64,000 travelers. AAA said 3 million more people will travel for the holidays than last year.
AAA estimates that 90% of holiday travelers (107 million) will commute by car while 7.85 million people will fly to their destinations. An additional 4.47 million people will travel by bus, train or cruise ship, up 10% from 2023.
Weather forecasts affecting travel
Several states could experience wintery bursts of weather in the coming days and leading up to Christmas, forecasters predict.
With the year-end travel season kicking off this weekend, winter-related weather alerts are expected to begin Thursday for North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The National Weather Service alerts and advisories are associated with an Alberta clipper, which originates in western Canada. The system could produce heavy snow, high winds and icy roads for the affected areas.
The NWS said that once the system arrives in the Northeast, flurries and spotty snow could have mild travel impacts. However, meteorologists say that the clipper could possibly run into a storm system that is reportedly building off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
If the two systems converge, that could create a major travel disruption over the next several days, including hazardous conditions along the I-95 corridor that could affect major cites on the East Coast such as New York and Boston.
Rainstorms are also expected to hit the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Idaho, Oregon and northern California before Christmas. The storms likely will produce heavy rain and mountain snow and wind that should begin early next week and extend through the day after Christmas.
The storms could cause air traffic delays between San Francisco and Seattle and could also hamper drivers traveling in higher elevation areas including Donner Pass in California and Snoqualmie Pass in Washington, Accuweather reported.
Gas prices ahead of holiday travel
Americans traveling by car this year are receiving an added holiday gift as Christmas gas prices nationwide are expected to be the lowest in four years.
GasBuddy estimates that the price at the pumps will be a national average of $2.95 per gallon Christmas Day. Gas prices have finally gotten closer to normal thanks to the Federal Reserve, which has been cutting back on high interest rates that slowed the economy in recent years, GasBuddy reported.
Other factors include a weak Chinese economy as well as the passage of time since the economy was growing at a “blistering pace.”
The nation’s lowest gas prices are expected to be found in Oklahoma ($2.46 per gallon), Texas ($2.53) and Mississippi ($2.55 per gallon). The highest prices are in Hawaii ($4.58 per gallon), California ($4.31 per gallon) and Washington ($3.93 per gallon).
Holiday flight status
The record number of people traveling by air over the next few weeks will increase traffic in and around the nation’s airports. Weather conditions could affect whether flights depart and arrive on time. The TSA estimates that it will screen more than 39 million people during the year-end holidays.
The heavy rains that are expected to hit the West Coast could lead to delays for passengers traveling through Seattle and San Francisco. Should the Alberta clipper and storm system that is brewing off the East Coast develop into a significant weather event, airports in New York and Boston could see travel delays, according to the weather service.
Fliers can use the FlightAware site to track the status of their plane. For those who do find themselves rerouted, delayed or stuck, the Department of Transportation maintains a list of rights for passengers, including how to contact the department if one believs an airline carrier has violated rules around refunds or compensation.
Will a possible United flight attendant strike affect air travel?
United Airlines flight attendants were expected to begin demonstrating outside of airports across the country Thursday as part of an ongoing contract dispute between union flight attendants and the carrier. The union said that flight attendants have been working without a contract since 2021 and filed for federal mediation nearly a year ago.
The union reported that in August, more than 99% of flight attendants represented by the union agreed to strike.
Will drones affect holiday travel?
The FBI has received tips about more than 5,000 drone sightings in recent weeks around the United States.
The sightings have included reports of drone activity around airports in New York and Boston, including sightings that closed down the runways at Stewart International Airport in New York for an hour. No flights were affected by the activity, officials said. Two Massachusetts men were also recently arrested in connection with allegations they were flying a drone too closely to the airspace at Logan International Airport in Boston.
Federal officials, including President Joe Biden, have said they do not believe there is any public safety risk associated with the drone sightings.