Air, rail and bus passenger traffic up sharply

AAA is projecting that more than 123,000 Delawareans (about 12{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of the state’s population) will travel a distance of 50 miles or more over the Memorial Day Weekend.

As usual, the vast majority will be driving to their destinations, though air travel and travel by other modes of transportation are both up significantly when compared to last year.

Nearly 90{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of travelers – or more than 110,000 Delawareans – will be hitting the road for the holiday, up nearly 5{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} compared to last year and despite record gas prices.

While the increase in auto travel is notable given the pain at the pump, a sharp jump in air travel and travel by other modes of transportation suggests gas prices may be motivating some travelers to consider alternatives to driving.

“The roads will be as crowded as they have been over the Memorial Day holiday since before the pandemic but airports, train stations and bus depots will also be extremely busy so travelers should plan accordingly,” says Jana Tidwell, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Air travel is up more than 25{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} over Memorial Day weekend last year, with AAA projecting that more than 10,000 Delawareans will to take to the skies. And, travel by other modes of transportation, which was slowest to recover from the pandemic, is up 195{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} over last year, with 3,000 Delawareans training, busing or cruising to their holiday destinations.

2022 projected Memorial Day holiday travelers – Delaware

NUMBER OF TRAVELERS	Total Population	2022 Travelers	Percent of the population traveling	Percent change vs. 2021
Delaware TOTAL Auto, Air & Other	1,003,384*	123,416	12.3{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+7.6{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
Delaware Auto	89{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of people travel by car	110,372	11.0{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+4.8{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
Delaware Air	8{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of people travel by air	10,033	1.0{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+26.0{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
Delaware Other (bus, cruise, etc.)	2{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of people travel by other	3,010	0.3{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+195{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
National TOTAL	329.5 million*	39.2 million	11.8{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+8.3{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
National Auto	89{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of people travel by car	34.9 million	10.5{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+4.6{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
National Air	8{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of people travel by air	3.0 million	0.9{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+25.0{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}
National Other (bus, cruise, etc.)	3{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} of people travel by other	1.3 million	0.4{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}	+200{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d}

*U.S. Census Bureau/IHS Global Insight (v2021)

AAA National Travel Projections

The increase in the number of Delawareans traveling over the Memorial Day holiday mirrors national projections.

From May 26 through May 30, more than 39 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home, an increase of more than eight percent over last year. And, most of those traveling – more than 35 million – will be hitting the road.

More than 3 million will be flying to their destinations, an increase of almost 25{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} over last year – but still slightly below pre-pandemic air travel. And the most significant increase over last year is the number of holiday travelers going by train, bus, or cruise line – more than 1.3 million, which is an increase of almost 200{ed4a5fd24114d7ae6500c97fa7652b3915c7d898a0860a9d70161be4f9c5b00d} over last year.

To learn more about which airports have the longest wait times for security visit TheExtraMile.com.

Top destinations

AAA booking data reveals that big cities and beaches are top destinations this Memorial Day, both domestically and abroad:

2022 Top Memorial Day Destinations
U.S Destinations	International Destinations
Orlando, FL	Vancouver, Canada
Seattle, WA	Dublin, Ireland
Miami, FL	Paris, France
Las Vegas, NV	Rome, Italy
Anaheim, CA	London, England
New York, NY	Cancun, Mexico
Denver, CO	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anchorage, AK	Barcelona, Spain
Boston, MA	Nassau, Bahamas
Honolulu, HI	Calgary, Canada

Methodology:

In cooperation with AAA, IHS Markit – a leader in critical information, analytics and expertise — developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes. The economic variables used to forecast travel for the current holiday are leveraged from IHS Markit’s proprietary databases. These data include macroeconomic drivers such as employment; output; household net worth; asset prices including stock indices; interest rates; housing market indicators and variables related to travel and tourism, including prices of gasoline, airline travel and hotel stays. AAA and IHS Markit have quantified holiday travel volumes going back to 2000.