Thanksgiving holiday travel: Nearly 80 million expected to journey 50 miles or more

Thanksgiving holiday travel: Nearly 80 million expected to journey

Nearly 80 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home to their Thanksgiving holiday destinations this year.

WASHINGTON - Nearly 80 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home to their Thanksgiving holiday destinations this year.

Auto club and insurance company AAA says most of the travelers, about 71.74 million, will be hitting the roads from the Tuesday before to the Monday after Thanksgiving Day.

Drivers will also be enjoying a slight dip in gas prices. The national average for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Monday, down from $3.26 at this time last year.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects to screen 18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day period, a 6% increase from the same stretch last year.

The TSA anticipates that 3 million people will pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday, potentially breaking the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the Fourth of July.

Tuesday and Wednesday are projected to be the next busiest air travel days during Thanksgiving week.