AAA expects the vast majority of Americans will stay home for the holidays
LEHIGH VALLEY, PA (WLVT-TV) - The holiday season is upon us and with it typically comes some of the busiest travel days of the year, but the coronavirus pandemic is having an impact. Three-quarters of Americans are expected to stay home this holiday travel season, according to AAA.
The Director of Travel for AAA East Central Sally Mccorrison says airlines are expected to take the biggest hit. She says “we do expect it to be down around 29% overall, which is really equates to about 34 million fewer people traveling, but interestingly, there will be a lot more travel by car. We're expecting about even though it's down three, 4 million sounds like a lot. We still expect about 84 point 5 million people to travel and that will be pretty much 96% by car, which is about 81 million people still going out there getting in a car and going somewhere.”
Travel and vacation expert Pete Trabucco monitors travel patterns at airports and vacation destinations around the country. Trabucco says “if you're going to fly, obviously, the air, the airline's themselves are very safe. The actual aircraft have a great ventilation system on the air pumping in there every three or four times, I guess, every several minutes. So it's not bad there, but problem is the TSA, getting online, waiting on the line, going through your clothing, taking your shoes off and then of course, on the other end, waiting online and we all know what that's like on the airplane, trying to get out of your seat and trying to get out of there. People get real close and tight there. So that's where the issues occur.”
The holiday travel period extends from December 23rd to January 3rd.