Vacation journey is projected to hit record-high numbers, eclipsing the file set 5 years in the past, as vacationers hit the highway or take to the skies over the following few days.
Auto membership AAA tasks 119.3 million individuals will journey at the very least 50 miles from house between Saturday and New 12 months’s Day. This yr’s vacation journey would surpass the earlier file set in 2019 by 64,000 vacationers.
Greater than 7.85 million individuals have been anticipated to journey by air over the vacations, surpassing final yr’s file of seven.5 million, AAA stated.
Of these airline passengers, 3.6 million have been predicted to reach at O’Hare and Halfway airports between Friday and Jan. 2, the Chicago Division of Aviation stated. The busiest days are anticipated to be Monday at O’Hare and Dec. 29 at Halfway.
Almost 243,000 passengers have been anticipated to cross by O’Hare on Monday whereas the next Sunday greater than 51,000 individuals would cross by Halfway.
O’Hare was projected to welcome practically 3.05 million individuals over the following 14 days — about 220,000 extra passengers than final yr.
“With Chicago’s airports serving as gateways for tens of millions of vacationers every vacation season, the CDA is devoted to delivering a world-class expertise for everybody passing by,” CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee stated. “Our groups at O’Hare and Halfway are devoted to making sure vacation journeys are clean and satisfying, with security and safety remaining our high precedence as we welcome vacationers throughout this particular time of yr.”
The vacation journey rush began off bumpy Friday morning when flights out of O’Hare have been delayed as a consequence of a floor cease attributable to snow and ice. About 876 flights have been delayed at O’Hare whereas 150 have been delayed at Halfway as of 6 p.m. Friday.
Almost 90% of vacation vacationers can be driving to their locations, AAA stated. About 107 million individuals have been anticipated to journey by automotive — 2.5 million greater than final yr.
The worst visitors within the Chicago space was projected to be Sunday afternoon alongside Interstate 94, between Chicago and Milwaukee, AAA stated. The 90-mile journey may take over 2 hours.
At $3.05 a gallon, gasoline costs are decrease than final yr, AAA stated. The nationwide common was $3.12 over the past two weeks of 2023.
It’s been a busy yr for vacation journey, with file numbers throughout Memorial Day, July Fourth and Thanksgiving.
