Thanksgiving week travel expected to be almost as busy as pre-pandemic levels, according to AAA’s latest Traveler’s Choice. On average, travelers expect to spend around $1.4 million on travel Monday through Friday this year, up 5 percent from last year, although September looks like the busiest travel month ever as airlines get geared up for the Thanksgiving travel surge.
As in years since 9/11, many travelers are delaying their travel plans because of the virus, which has spread from China and Europe to the United States. “Travelers are delaying their travel because of the pandemic instead of planning for a long time,” says AAA, which released its Traveler’s Choice travel ratings. “Travelers are avoiding travel because they want to minimize their exposure to germs.”
In fact, the travel ratings show a 17.8 percent decline in overall travel levels from the same day last year. The major reason for the drop? An average of 18.3 million fewer people are expected to travel the United States, but the reason is the new coronavirus.
Although travel continues, the virus has disrupted the travel industry, and many major airlines have canceled flights. “Many major airlines have already begun to cancel their travel plans as they anticipate further cancellations and cancellations during the peak of the travel period.”
This is bad news, as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly. “In fact, the number of new coronavirus cases reported in the U.S. has already surpassed the number of deaths from previous outbreaks. As this outbreak continues, more cases are likely to appear and continue to expand.”
That’s bad news for travelers, who will have to wait. And it’s likely that they won’t be able to travel for a while. “While travel has been temporarily suspended by many major carriers, many travelers are continuing with travel plans and many are choosing not to cancel their travel plans,” says AAA.
The numbers show that the pandemic has been a factor in holiday travel, and by the week’s end it is only expected to be another factor.
When it comes to travel, it is one of America�