AAA expecting one of the busiest travel weekends this Memorial Day holiday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Memorial Day is almost here and travel experts are predicting that this will be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

If you’re planning to start your holiday a little early and leave on Friday, AAA experts said be prepared for crowded highways and packed airports.

Local AAA experts said this is likely going to be one of the biggest travel years Alabama has seen in decades, really kicking off this weekend, with more than 40 million people across the country hitting the road or heading to the airport. Clay Ingram with AAA said this will be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since the early 2000′s.

AAA is projecting 42.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home. That’s about 7% more people than last year. Experts said they normally only see one to two percent increases from year to year. It also won’t be less crowded if you’re flying, airports are expected to see an 11% increase in travelers. Ingram said no matter where you go, it’s gong to be busy and take longer than you expect.

“You need to be padding your travel time schedule,” Ingram said. “Get to the airport much earlier than you would. Be sure if you have a six hour drive, you might want to allow eight hours to take that six hour drive.”

While there may be more people out this year, gas is expected to be cheaper than this time last year. The state’s average is $3.15, but last Memorial Day, it was nearly $4.30.

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