Record-setting Thanksgiving travel expected at San Diego airport and SoCal roads

Travelers were advised to expect a busy travel season for the Thanksgiving holiday at San Diego International Airport and across Southern California’s roadways, with Wednesday being one of the peak travel days.

Here’s what you should know.

? Thanksgiving travel forecast on SoCal roads

The roads will be busy in Southern California from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1. AAA is projecting 90% of travelers across the country will travel by car this Thanksgiving season.

That’s 73 million Americans on the roads, and 5.88 million of those are Southern Californian drivers.

The Auto Club of Southern California says one of the most congested Thanksgiving travel routes is on northbound Interstate 15 between San Diego and Palm Springs. If you depart Wednesday at 5 p.m., this route is expected to be 79% more crowded and could take drivers an estimated 4 hours and 49 minutes to complete.

Here are the best and worst times to drive during the holiday season, according to AAA.

is expecting 6.78 million residents to travel 50 miles or more from their homes during the Thanksgiving travel season, according to the agency. That projection is an increase from the past year (2.8%) and sets a new record for the Thanksgiving holiday.

To boot, this Thanksgiving holiday travel forecast is 6.9% up from their prepandemic levels in 2019, according to AAA of Southern California.

“Thanksgiving travel has always been popular, but has grown into an even greater priority in recent years after the pandemic limited those opportunities to connect with family and friends,” Auto Club spokesperson Doug Shupe said. “Southern Californians go the distance to spend time with family and friends. This holiday is one of the busiest—and most meaningful—times to travel each year.”

It’s important to remember that the AAA and Mothers Against Drunk Driving urge drivers to plan ahead and drive sober. During the Thanksgiving holiday season between 2019 and 2023, 868 lives were lost in drunk-driving crashes. That makes up 35% of holiday traffic fatalities, AAA said. Designate a sober driver, use a rideshare or take public transit to travel safely.

Across the country, the AAA is expecting 81.8 million Americans to travel this Thanksgiving travel period (from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1), making it the busiest on record with an increase of 1.6 million more travelers than in 2024.

✈️ Thanksgiving travel forecast at San Diego International Airport

The heaviest air travel will continue through Dec. 1, with daily passenger volume during the 11-day period anticipated to reach as many as 80,000, a 3% increase over last year, according to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

The busiest day is expected to be Sunday, Nov. 30, with as many as 90,000 people traveling through the airport. Other peak days include Friday through Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving Day and the Monday after.

For those heading to San Diego International to pick up or drop off, expect delays both from heavy traffic and the airport’s Terminal 1 project with ongoing construction. The busiest times curbside will be between 4 a.m. to 6:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. to midnight.

To help avoid holiday travel woes, the airport authority offered some tips:

• Arrive at least two hours early to avoid the busiest times.
• Be aware of roadway changes: A new on-airport roadway now directs westbound drivers on North Harbor Drive to Terminals 1 and 2.
• Make parking reservations at www.san.org/parking.
• Take the free San Diego Flyer shuttle service between the Old Town Transit Station and SAN. The electric shuttle buses operate seven days a week, with an average arrival time of every 20 to 30 minutes. The first pick up is at 4:45 a.m. and the last pick up/drop off at 12:30 a.m.
• Have family or friends drop you off or use ride-hailing services.