Over 47 Million Set to Travel for Holiday Weekend
Multiple news outlets reported this morning that a record number of people are set to travel for the long holiday weekend. In fact, an estimated 47 million people plan to travel for Independence Day with Orlando and Anaheim topping the destination list.


Photo Credit: Videvo.net
If the number holds, this Independence Day weekend travel volume would rank second for highest number of travelers during this holiday, according to a piece on “Good Morning America” this morning.
July 4th weekend set to be the busiest travel weekend since the pandemic began. @GioBenitez reports. https://t.co/0vFGuq1ZOu pic.twitter.com/N93WFsEbPe
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 29, 2021
Travelers Take to the Skies
An estimated 3.5 million of those people hold tickets to fly as airlines continue to rebound from issues stemming from the pandemic. In fact, United Airlines recently purchased 270 jets in order to better accommodate the enormous travel demand, according to the GMA piece.


Source: Fortune
Tragically, the airline also still faces a massive pilot shortage, so issues with cancellations may not improve any time soon. Southwest Airlines also faces multiple cancellations a day, citing weather and IT-related issues.
Hitting the Weekend Roads
Those travelling on the road should also prepare for backups, as the GMA piece predicted usual high-traffic issues to double in both time spent and volume. Specifically, experts say that I-90 in Boston could see a 330% increase in traffic. Rental car prices still sit at around the same percentage higher than usual rates due to a crunch on availability and surge in demand.
“Despite the highest gas prices in seven years, more than 91% of holiday travel will be by car. An expected 43.6 million Americans will drive to their destinations, the highest on record for this holiday and 5% more than the previous record set in 2019,” according to a AAA article this morning.
Still Waiting for the Disney Seas
Cruise lines expected to join in the July holiday travel binge, but just yesterday, Disney Cruise Line announced that it postponed even its first test cruise. Though Celebrity Cruise Line set sail with ticketed passengers on the 26th, Disney Cruise Line cited inconsistent COVID-19 testing for their delay. The DCL test cruise opened only for cast members with no official word when ticketed passengers will return to Disney ships.
Feature Image Credit: Orlando International Airport