Millions expected to fly Memorial Day weekend; Here's what to expect

ATLANTA - With less than two weeks to go until the unofficial kickoff to summer, the weather will not be the only ‘hot’ thing this year. AAA says if you plan on traveling, you're certainly not alone.

"This is just one addition to our bucket list," said Nicole Coleman.

Coleman and her husband are set to head to Italy for their honeymoon. Like many, they like to travel and plan to do a lot of it this summer.

"It's where we are able to find our peace and I guess kind of rejuvenate from the stressful lives that we live every day," she said.

AAA expects this Memorial Day weekend to set the tone for the summer to be one of the busiest since they started keeping track. It estimates 42.3 million Americans will head out. Nearly 3.4 million of those will fly, which AAA says will be the strongest Memorial Day air travel numbers in nearly two decades.

"Bookings are up over 200% as compared to 2022," said Claire Murdock with AAA The Auto Club Group.

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The roads will also be packed. More than 37 million Americans will drive to their destination. In Georgia, the association estimates nearly 1.2 million Georgians will drive and about 115,000 will fly.

"The economy is to a point where people are starting to feel comfortable traveling again," said Garrett Townsend with AAA The Auto Club.

AAA says gas prices are down about 75 cents compared to last year in the Atlanta area. One thing that is not lower, ticket prices. AAA says plane tickets are up 40% to top destinations, but that is not deterring travelers.  

"We are definitely looking at cost, but for the most part we pretty much do what we want to do when we want to do it," Coleman said.

AAA expects the Thursday and Friday before the holiday to be the busiest travel days, and it urges travelers to check their cars before hitting the road.