Fourth of July travel set for record numbers

(NewsNation) — As is customary, there is expected to be a flurry of travel as the week comes to a close ahead of the Fourth of July.

A record number of travelers, 70 million to be precise, are expected from Friday until the day of the holiday next Thursday.

The TSA predicts that more than 32 million people will be screened between today and next weekend, and three million people are expected to fly this Friday.

How many people will travel?

AAA reported that 70 million people are expected to travel this year, 8% higher than prepandemic levels in 2019.

“We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019,” Paula Twidale, AAA senior vice president, said in a release.

With gas prices currently down from this time last year, the majority of people will drive.

Why could there be record numbers?

Clint Henderson, managing editor of the travel website The Points Guy, explained on “NewsNation Now” why travel experts are expecting this to be the busiest summer of travel ever.

“The last few summers have been super, super expensive,” he said. “And I think part of that was so much demand and people willing to pay, but the airlines have added seats and capacity.

“And now, prices have stabilized and, in some cases, even dropped.”

Could Boeing impact travel plans?

Despite the challenges airlines are facing due to Boeing’s slowing production of airplanes, it is not expected to affect travel this weekend.

Boeing has been sanctioned by U.S. investigators after it shared information about a federal investigation after a door plug blew out on a Jan. 5 flight in Portland, Oregon.

Experts tell NewsNation that it has had little impact on ticket prices for the holiday, but should production remain slowed beyond the immediate future, that could change.