CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The busiest travel holiday of the year is about to be upon us, and Triple-A predicts 92-million Americans will travel 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving break.

That’s 1.6-million more than 2024, and Triple-A MidAtlantic’s Morgan Dean said 90% are expected to travel by car, which is around 73-million.

Dean said, “Due to the FAA ending the mandatory flight cancellations, air travelers should have fewer worries heading into the holiday travel season. But that’s not to say some of those issues could linger out there.”

Dean advises air travelers make sure to download their airline’s app so they can receive information about their flights as quickly as possible.

While Dean said Triple-A is projecting 73-million driving, “That figure could be a little bit higher if some of those who are concerned about flight cancellations last week extending into the holiday decided to pivot and drive to their destination instead.”

The projected road trip number is still 1.3-million more than Thanksgiving holiday last year.

Helping with that driving decision is car rental prices are 15% down from the same time period last year.

At the pump, drivers are paying about the same as last year, when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.06 on Thanksgiving Day.

Filling the tank is a good idea the night before a road trip since it’s one less thing to do on travel day.

AAA also recommends checking your battery and tire pressure.

Last Thanksgiving holiday period, AAA responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls to help stranded drivers with issues like dead batteries, flat tires, and empty fuel tanks.  

These are the overall national numbers with Virginia numbers expected to be revealed Thursday.