AAA predicts record 71 million will travel over July Fourth holiday

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A record number of travelers are expected to the road — and sky — over the long July Fourth holiday in 2024.

AAA is forecasting that 70.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday week. AAA says this surpasses even pre-COVID-19 pandemic records, and should be about an 8% increase over 2019 figures.

AAA projects that 60.6 million people will travel by car, while another 5.74 million will fly. Another 4.6 million people will travel by other means, like buses, cruises and trains.

The Transportation Security Administration is also predicting records, saying that 32 million passengers are projected to travel from U.S. airports between June 27 and July 8.

At Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, the forecast is for an 11% increase in passengers. The airport is expected to see 325,000 departing and arriving passengers during the July Fourth holiday period, which is from June 28 to Sunday.

AAA, referencing data from INRIX, said the worst times to hit the road are generally in the middle of the day.

On Wednesday and Thursday, AAA is saying the best travel time is before noon. While Friday, Saturday, people should hit the road before 10 a.m., and before 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Sean McDonnell is the business reporter for cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. You can reach him at smcdonnell@cleveland.com.