Fifty Million Americans Anticipated To Hit the Road for Independence Day

The U.S. has a lot of unmet travel demand, and increasing costs aren't slowing people down just yet.

 

According to research conducted by the travel association AAA, more than 50 million people in the United States intend to travel at least 50 miles away from their homes during the Fourth of July vacation. This number is a new high for the holiday, expected to break the previous record mark of 49 million tourists established in 2019.

In simple words, Americans are not cutting down on vacation this summer despite low availability and some prices being 50% higher. Nonetheless, inflation is a huge issue for American tourists, according to a recent study conducted by the travel news website The Vacationer. Nearly two-thirds of respondents indicated rising costs were having a significant impact on their vacation plans, with over half of those people citing rising prices for essentials goods. The youngest respondents (those between the ages of 18 and 29) were the most likely to declare that increasing costs will hinder their Fourth of July trip plans (69% said this).

Professor Eric Jones of Rowan University in South Jersey and co-founder of The Vacationer carried out extensive research on the effects of inflation on leisure travelling, and he has concluded that although people will not stop vacationing completely, they will likely have to make concessions in other regards, such as shorter journeys, more carpooling, localized holidaying, more home-cooked meals, and so on.

However, it seems that flying is one area where holidaymakers are not cutting down. Since this year's Fourth of July round-trip travel prices are around 27% lower than in 2022, many more Americans are likely to fly for the celebration.

The Transportation Security Administration forecasts approximately 17.7 million people expected to fly during the Fourth of July holiday. The largest U.S. airlines are also anticipating record-breaking travel. Between June 30 and July 9, approximately 5 million passengers are expected to travel with United Airlines, while nearly 3 million passengers are expected to take off with American Airlines between June 30 and July 4.

However, flight disruptions have already begun to have a significant impact on airlines operating in the United States in advance of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Due to the severe weather that hit the East Coast on Tuesday, over 7,000 flights had to be rescheduled or cancelled. The airline sector is also dealing with manpower deficits, as part of the recent high number of flight cancellations also happened due to a significant lack of personnel.

 

source: skift.com