The best times to travel from Philly for Memorial Day vacation
Why it matters: More than 525,000 people in the Philly metro are expected to travel from Thursday through Monday, per AAA.
That's up 3% over last year and would be a record high for the long weekend.
State of play: Despite rising prices and economic uncertainty, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Jana Tidwell tells Axios people don't want to give up traveling, especially in the post-pandemic world.
"They're going to do it in a way that works for their budget," she said. "People will find a way to [travel]."
📈 Zoom out: AAA projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and May 26 — a new record.
That's up by 1.4 million travelers over last year.
🚗 Zoom in: Cars are the preferred mode of travel in the region this weekend, per AAA.
9 out of 10 are projected to drive to their destinations.
🏖️ Travel hotspot: The Jersey Shore is the place to be this weekend — duh.
Congestion along the Atlantic City Expressway will be the worst in the region during the holiday, per AAA.
Monday at noon is pegged as the worst time to drive along this route.
Pro tip: Hitting the road in morning is generally your best bet to beat traffic, per Inrix, which crunches transportation data.
The overall best times to drive: Before noon on Thursday and Saturday.
Friday: Before 11am
Sunday: Before 1pm
Monday: Before 2pm
The worst times to drive: 1–9pm on Thursday.
Friday: Noon–8pm
Saturday: 2pm–6pm
Sunday: 1–5pm
Monday: 4–7pm
✈️ Meanwhile, 38,000 people in the region will travel by plane this weekend — up 1.2% over last year.
Worth noting: Philadelphia International Airport will add new daily service to Edinburgh, Scotland, and Milan, Italy, starting Saturday.
Plus: American Airlines opens its Admirals Club Lounge and Flagship Lounge on Thursday.
The Chase Sapphire Lounge opened in February.
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