Amid Strong Economy, Southern California Expects Busiest Thanksgiving Holiday in a Decade

With the destructive wildfires gradually dying down, Southern California is now expecting the busiest Thanksgiving weekend since 2005, with about 4.2 million residents choosing to travel somewhere away from home, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

“The all-time record number of Thanksgiving travelers was set in 2005, when 58.6 million nationwide, 6.9 million statewide and nearly 4.3 million in Southern California took holiday trips,” according to a statement from AAA.

The data provided by AAA estimated that the statewide travel population will reach 6.8 million, which is 5.1 percent more than last year. As for transportation methods, traveling by car is the most popular, with 5.9 million people driving on the road.

In Southern California, 3.6 million travelers are expected to drive to their destination, indicating a 5.1 percent increase from 2017. About half a million people will likely choose to fly, which is 5.9 percent more than last year.

“Even with an average five percent increase in Thanksgiving holiday airfares over last year, consumer confidence has continued to increase demand for air-travel destinations,” said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services.

With more people choosing to take a holiday trip, the travel industry believes the growing U.S. economy is playing an important role.

“Consumers have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season: higher wages, more disposable income and rising levels of household wealth,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA Travel senior vice president. “This is translating into more travelers kicking off the holiday season with a Thanksgiving getaway, building on a positive year for the travel industry.”

Nationwide, AAA reports that about 54.3 million Americans are expected to get away for the long weekend, which represents a 4.8 percent increase over last year. The vast majority—48.5 million—are going to travel on the road, which reflects a 5 percent increase. And “the largest growth in holiday travel is by air, at 5.4 percent, with 4.27 million travelers,” AAA said in a statement.

The data was calculated based on the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, which is a five day period from Wednesday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 25. The calculation includes holiday trips that are more than 50 miles away from home.

According to data from AAA’s online and travel agency bookings, Anaheim could become the third most popular destination for Thanksgiving travelers nationwide.  Another survey conducted by the Auto Club’s travel agents reveals the top five destinations for Southern Californians this holiday are: 1. Las Vegas, 2. San Diego, 3. San Francisco, 4. Grand Canyon, and 5. Anaheim.

“No matter when drivers leave for their holiday trips, we remind them, ‘Don’t Drive Intoxicated,’” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “An increase in traffic requires extra focus on the road ahead and we want drivers to remember texting while driving could lead to the same deadly consequences as alcohol-impaired driving.”

The transportation analytics firm INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts southern California drivers are likely to come across the greatest amount of congestion Thanksgiving week starting from early Wednesday evening.

AAA recommends travelers plan an early morning start if possible. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday are the best days among Thanksgiving week to travel.