Overview
- AAA projects a record 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles over the long holiday, with 39.1 million driving and about 3.66 million flying.
- The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is around $4.5 to $4.6, the highest Memorial Day level since 2022, with analysts linking the jump to disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Transportation analytics firm INRIX warns of concentrated peak congestion windows on Thursday and Friday afternoons and Monday midday, and airports are preparing for heavy passenger volumes and busy pick-up lines.
- Some travelers are shortening or canceling trips because of higher pump and jet-fuel costs, while early-booked airfare data show lower average round-trip domestic ticket prices near $800 for many who locked fares before recent fuel spikes.
- State-level estimates show uneven local effects—examples include about 3.7 million Texans, 1.3 million Michiganders, and roughly 855,000 Marylanders planning trips—and sustained fuel-driven price pressure could raise lodging and food costs later in the summer.