116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Traveling for Memorial Day? What to know about flights, gas and more
Gas prices expected to be similar to last Memorial Day’s weekend
May. 23, 2024 4:37 pm, Updated: May. 24, 2024 7:29 am
Iowans and Nebraskans are forecast to travel in near record numbers this Memorial Day weekend, kicking off what is expected to be the busiest summer travel season on record.
Nearly 3.1 travelers from the AAA’s West North Central Region, which includes Iowa, will journey 50 miles or more beginning Thursday. Nationally, AAA estimates nearly 44 million Americans will hit the road, take to the skies, hop on a train or board buses and cruises this weekend. That is a 4 percent increase over last year and comes close to matching 2005’s record of 44 million Memorial Day travelers.
AAA predicts 3.51 million people will travel by plane from Thursday to Monday, a 4.8 percent jump from last year and the busiest Memorial Day weekend at U.S. airports since 2005.
It projects another 38.4 million people will travel by car this weekend, the highest number for the holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000. That represents a 4 percent increase over last year.
“We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “We’re projecting an additional 1 million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019, which not only means we’re exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.”
What are the busiest days to travel?
The busiest days to fly will be Friday and Memorial Day on Monday, according to travel industry experts.
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says drivers leaving Thursday or Friday should hit the road early — before 11 a.m. — to avoid the worst traffic. Travelers going back home on Sunday or Monday should avoid the afternoon hours. The worst time to be on the road those days is from 3 to 7 p.m., INRIX said.
“Travel times are expected to be up to 90 percent longer than normal. Travelers should stay up to date on traffic apps, 511 services, and local news stations to avoid sitting in traffic longer than necessary,” Bob Pishue, an INRIX analyst, said in a statement.
| Date | Worst times | Best times |
| Thursday | 12-6 p.m. | Before 11 a.m., after 7 p.m. |
| Friday | 12-7 p.m. | Before 11 a.m., after 8 p.m. |
| Saturday | 2-5 p.m. | Before 1 p.m., after 6 p.m. |
| Sunday | 3-7 p.m. | Before 1 p.m. |
| Monday | 3-7 p.m. | After 7 p.m. |
| Source: INRIX |
The cities with the highest rental car demands are Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Boston and Las Vegas, according to Hertz.
The most packed airports are expected to be Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, according to travel industry research site Hopper.
According to AAA, the top domestic destinations are: Orlando, Seattle, New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Anchorage. Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Boston.
How busy will airports be?
The Transportation Security Administration said it already has seen record numbers ahead of the Memorial Day holiday travel period, which began Thursday.
TSA officials forecast Friday to be the busiest travel day of the long weekend, anticipating nearly 3 million passengers. From May 23 to May 29, the agency expects to screen more than 18 million passengers and crew.
“In close coordination with airport, airline and travel partners, we are more than ready to handle this summer’s increased travel volumes,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “We are also continuing to deploy state-of-the-art checkpoint technology that increases security effectiveness, efficiency and enhances the passenger experience and our retention and recruitment numbers are the highest they’ve ever been.”
Passengers flying in and out of The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, though, should not see unusually high traffic.
“In general, Memorial Day is not one of the airport’s busiest holidays,” said Pam Hinman, director marketing and communications at the airport.
Hinman said the airport anticipated about 11,000 passengers will board flights there Thursday through Monday, up from last year. “The number of seats in our market for the Thursday to Monday time period is up 17 percent versus 2023,” she said.
Year-to-date, 10 percent more passengers traveled through The Eastern Iowa Airport than in the same period last year. And April was another record month, with nearly 115,000 total passengers at the Cedar Rapids airport. That breaks the previous April record set in 2019 when 98,177 total passengers flew through The Eastern Iowa Airport.
Air travel tips
- Arrive 90 minutes before your scheduled departure.
- Check-in early online and be sure to print or download boarding passes.
- Monitor your flight status using your airline’s mobile app to get the most up-to-date information.
- Pack medications and an extra set of clothes in a carry-on bag in case a flight is delayed or canceled.
- Before packing, check TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” tool to know what is prohibited.
- Make sure you have a REAL ID or another acceptable ID. Adult passengers 18 years and older must show valid ID credentials at the airport checkpoint. For questions on acceptable IDs, go to TSA.gov.
- Be aware of new checkpoint technology. For more information on how TSA is using facial recognition technology, see TSA’s Privacy Impact Assessments, Fact Sheet and biometrics technology webpages.
What about gas prices?
Drivers can expect similar gas prices as last year when the national average was roughly $3.57 a gallon, according to AAA.
Pump prices rose this spring but have held somewhat steady in recent weeks. Prices, though, crept higher Thursday in Iowa as the summer driving season gets underway.
In Iowa, the average price of gas Thursday was nearly $3.33 a gallon, less than national average of $3.61 a gallon, according to AAA. In Linn County, the average price was $3.39 a gallon. That’s roughly 14 cents higher from a week ago, but similar to last year. In Johnson County, the average gas price was 12 cents cheaper.
Fuel price tracking website GasBuddy forecasts that gas prices will average $3.58 per gallon nationally between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Absent a major storm in the Gulf, gas prices should not be much of a hindrance for those taking a road trip, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“It looks like it’ll be a busy start to the summer driving season, and while Americans gripe about the cost of gasoline, it doesn’t seem that too many are going to be deterred from hitting the road,” De Haan said in a statement. “Great news for those who are planning to travel: Motorists are likely to see more stations lowering prices to $2.99 per gallon or less as the summer wears on, and refiners ramp up output after finishing maintenance.”
‘Tow and Go’ program returns for holiday
Nationwide, AAA expects to rescue more than 378,000 stranded motorists during the holiday weekend, an increase of 5 percent from last year. The three most common reasons drivers call AAA are for flat tires, dead batteries and lockouts.
It also will work to keep impaired drivers off the road. The Auto Club Group is activating its Tow to Go program in Nebraska, Iowa and other states, offering a confidential safe ride for would-be impaired drivers and their vehicles. The program will be active from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Tuesday.
— Free to members and non-members
— Confidential local ride for one person and a vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius
— Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance to use “Tow to Go.”
— In some situations, AAA may need to make other arrangements to get an impaired driver a safe ride home
— “Tow to Go“ may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather
Phone Number: (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246
How’s the weather?
The forecast calls for the chance of storms and scattered and isolated showers throughout the weekend in the Corridor.
Thursday: Jim Hladik, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities, said the forecast calls for a dry day and sunshine Thursday, with high temperatures near 80. Showers and thunderstorm may move through Eastern Iowa late Thursday night into Friday morning.
Friday: Strong and possible severe storms could move through the area Friday. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center forecasts a marginal risk for severe weather. Hladik said there’s potential for strong, damaging wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph, hail up to an inch in diameter and local heavy downpours of up to an inch of rain. But a majority of the area will likely receive a quarter to a half inch of rain. Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 70s.
Saturday: Hladik said the forecast calls for an “ideal day” that’s sunny, with lower humidity and slightly cooler temps with highs in the low- to mid-70s.
There’s another chance for rain late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, and lasting for quite a bit of the day Sunday. The forecast shows a chance for thunderstorms with heavy rain.
Sunday: Is expected to be a cooler day with high in upper-60s to around 70. Areas might see up to an inch of rainfall
Monday: Temperatures in the low-70s with a chance for scattered and isolated showers.
For those traveling, Hladik said the forecasts shows the potential for severe storms Sunday across the Southern Plains, stretching from Oklahoma through Kansas, Missouri, southern Illinois and possibly up to the Ohio River Valley. He said there’s also potential for storms in the Chicago and Milwaukee that could impact flights in the later afternoon and evening Sunday.
There is also the potential for strong storms along the East Cost from Washington, D.C., to Maine that could impact late-Monday travel.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters