The USA’s Independence Day holiday is looming and it is set to be the busiest 4th July for air and road transport the country has ever seen.
Predictions from the American Automotive Association (AAA) for the nine-day period Saturday, 29 June, to Sunday, 7 July, are saying that 70.9 million Americans will head 50 miles or more from their homes during that time. That’s a 5% increase on last year’s numbers, and 9% up on pre-Covid year 2019. However it should be noted that for the first time ever the travel window includes the entire holiday week, plus the preceding Saturday and following Sunday.
Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said the body expects “this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019.” Part of the explanation for the huge numbers, Twidale said, was “summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work” which mean “more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day.”
Typically Americans celebrate 4th July with parades, picnics, family and neighbourhood barbecues, and fireworks events. That creates traffic. The AAA predicts that a record-breaking 60.06 million people will travel by car over the week, helped by fuel prices that are currently low. Some of those car journeys will be made in hired vehicles. AAA partner, Hertz, shared data showing the highest rental car demand in Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco.
To avoid the worst delays, drivers are advised not to hit the road on 4 July between 2pm and 7pm. For those in city areas, the worst congestion is expected the day before the holiday, Wednesday, 3 July, and the day of the great return Sunday, 7 July, according to travel analysists, INRIX.
As well as busy roads, airports are likely to see vast numbers of flyers, the AAA says. Their domestic leisure travel analysis is slating 5.74 million people boarding a flight for their holiday travel. That’s 7% up on 2023, and 12% up on 2019.
Indeed air travel records have already been broken this summer, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has said, after Sunday, 23 June 2024 saw almost 3 million people pass through airport security. “We expect this summer to be our busiest ever and summer travel usually peaks over the Independence Day holiday,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement.
When it comes to alternatives to road and air travel, 4.6 million people are expected to use buses, trains, cruises instead for their holiday journeys, still down on 2019’s 4.79 million, but a 9% improvement on 2023. Cruises, the AAA notes, are soaring in popularity, with Seattle and Anchorage the most popular domestic destinations.
