Memorial Day travel set to break record despite higher gas, flight prices
Even with gas at $4.520 a gallon and flights about 2% pricier, AAA expects a record 45 million Americans to travel for Memorial Day.
Americans are still filling highways and airports in record numbers even as gas and airfare remain elevated, showing that many households are absorbing higher travel costs instead of canceling the trip.
AAA projected 45 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home during the Memorial Day period from Thursday, May 21 through Monday, May 25. That total would top the 44.8 million travelers AAA counted last year and edge past the holiday record that had stood since 2005, when 44 million Americans traveled.
Most of those travelers are expected to drive. AAA said 39.1 million people will take to the road over the holiday stretch, while 3.66 million are expected to fly. The split points to the central trade-off shaping this holiday: families are still moving, but many are choosing cars over more expensive airline tickets and building their plans around shorter, more manageable trips.
Stacey Barber, vice president of travel at AAA, said Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and that travel remains a priority for many Americans. AAA’s booking data shows domestic flights are about 2% more expensive than a year ago, with the average roundtrip ticket around $850. Popular destinations include Chicago, New York, Orlando, Denver and Seattle, reflecting a mix of business hubs and leisure markets that continue to draw holiday traffic.
The pressure is not limited to the air. AAA said gas prices are higher than they were last Memorial Day weekend and that current pump prices are the highest since 2022. The association’s national average gasoline price stood at $4.520 a gallon on May 11, a level that adds another layer of cost for the millions expected to drive.
The Transportation Security Administration has said Memorial Day weekend opens a sustained summer travel season that runs through Labor Day, a period of consistently heavier passenger volumes. In 2025, TSA expected to screen about 18 million passengers and crew over the Memorial Day weekend, a reminder of how closely this holiday now tracks the start of the country’s busiest travel months.
For airlines, highways and travel retailers, the message is the same: inflation is changing how Americans travel, not whether they travel.
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