Thanksgiving Transportation by the Numbers

Cannonball Express Transportation

Author

November 3, 2022

Thanksgiving Transportation by the Numbers

Are you planning on traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones? If so, knowing what to expect so you can plan accordingly is highly recommended. After all, the Thanksgiving holiday period is the busiest travel season in the United States, with the number of travelers far exceeding the height of the summer travel season. Let’s take a look at Thanksgiving transportation by the numbers!

Thanksgiving Transportation by the Numbers

Whether you’re transit plans involve taking to the skies or hitting the streets, it’s pretty much guaranteed that your holiday travel plans are going to be hectic. While sharing good cheer and making memories to last a lifetime with loved ones over turkey and pumpkin pie is certainly worthwhile, Thanksgiving is infamous for gridlock – on the roads and rails, and certainly in the skies.

That said, to make things a bit less stressful, you can use the following Thanksgiving transportation-related information so that you can plan accordingly and (hopefully) avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic and long lines.

Things to Keep in Mind

Before we dive into the numbers, there are some key things to keep in mind.

With uncertainty surrounding gas prices and pilot shortages, airfare is more expensive than in prior years. Though airline prices are expected to hold steady, gas prices are forecasted to be around $3.60 a gallon for regular-unleaded fuel during the final quarter of the year. With such high prices, traveling by car can still be quite expensive depending on where you are traveling to.

Keep these things in mind as you are planning your Thanksgiving holiday travel this year.

Thanksgiving Travel Numbers

Experts predict that travel for Thanksgiving in 2022 will be similar to 2019 Thanksgiving travel, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, we’re going to use 2019 data to provide a snapshot of what to expect when traveling for Thanksgiving this year.

Air

In 2019, approximately 26.8 million Americans took to the skies during the week of Thanksgiving. As usual, the Wednesday before and the Sunday after the holiday are projected to be the busiest for airlines.

Roadways

Millions of Americans hit the roads in 2019. The same is anticipated this year; however, travelers’ may not be traveling as far as usual, largely due to soaring gas prices.

Rails

Nearly 847,000 people traveled by rail over Thanksgiving week in 2019. It is estimated that those numbers will be similar or higher in 2022. Like everything else, Amtrak ticket prices have increased, due to inflation. However, rail travel is certainly more affordable than air travel, and depending on how far you’re going, it may be more affordable than car travel, too.

Additional Information: Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics – USDA

Cannonball Express Transportation

Cannonball Express Shipping Company has been providing top-of-the-line service at a reasonable rate. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, we provide nationwide refrigerated LTL services, as well as, local delivery services. Contact us today!

Nationwide Shipping Company Services:

  • Refrigerated LTL deliveries in the lower 48 states
  • Refrigerated Cross dock

Local Shipping Company Services:

  • Redelivery Services
  • Truckload & LTL Capabilities
  • PUP
  • Cross dock
  • Transload
  • Warehouse and Distribution capabilities from multiple Omaha Locations

Nebraska Warehouse One-Stop-Shop | TechnologyEnabled 3PL Value-Added Services Warehouse | Freight Broker | Logistics

Nebraska Warehouse doesn’t just help to facilitate your shipments, but we are truly a one-stop-shop solutions provider. Our services include:

Latest News

The latest information about our Omaha storage warehouse services

Harnessing AI for Predictive Maintenance in Refrigerated Fleets

AI is advancing at a significant fraction of the speed of light (and definitely moving faster...


More Details

June 2, 2025

Role of Tariffs on US Freight Transportation

Tariffs might sound like one of those things only economists care about—like bond yields or...


More Details

May 12, 2025

Mental Health Awareness in the Trucking Industry

Long hours on the road, irregular schedules, days or weeks of separation from those you...


More Details

April 23, 2025

Developing Resilient Supply Chains for Pharmaceuticals

In the pharma supply chain, you're not moving boxes of generic products around. You’re shipping...


More Details

April 9, 2025

Using Data Analytics for Better Fleet Management

As cliched as it might sound, data analytics has genuinely revolutionized many industries—fleet...


More Details

March 14, 2025

The Impact of Fuel Prices on Refrigerated Transportation Costs

We might not think about it often, but the global sale of perishable foods, pharmaceuticals,...


More Details

February 12, 2025

Emergency Preparedness in Refrigerated Shipping: Lessons from the LA Fires 

The 2025 LA fires have caused almost incomprehensible damage, including destroying thousands...


More Details

January 31, 2025

Why Winter is a Critical Time for Temperature-Sensitive Shipments

Winter brings below-freezing temperatures. Preparation for the shipping and logistics industries...


More Details

December 23, 2024

Top 5 Industries That Rely on Refrigerated Shipping

  Refrigerated transportation is a huge industry that serves many different sectors of...


More Details

November 18, 2024

Why Temperature-Controlled Shipping Is Essential During the Holiday Season

The shipping and e-commerce industries are busy like Santa’s workshop around the holiday...


More Details

October 29, 2024