Experts are issuing a weekend travel warning for Memorial Day, specifying the worst time to go

As Memorial Day weekend approaches, 42 million Americans are expected to take to the road, rail and air to launch the start of the summer travel season.

This year, 2.7 million more people are expected to travel than last year, an increase of 7 percent from 2022.

1.85 million people were expected to take a bus or train, an increase of 20.6 percent from last year.

There will be 500,000 fewer people on the road than before the pandemic, but lower gas prices will still have 37.1 million people traveling by car.

The increase in airfare costs has also not delayed the 3.4 million expected to fly, an 11% increase from last year, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

The travel company predicts it will be the third-busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, with airports seeing more travelers than they have since 2005.

Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, warned drivers that there will be long delays, “especially in and around major subways, as commuters mix with Memorial Day travelers.”

Pishue advised travelers not to drive during rush hours and to use alternate routes.

He estimated the worst time to travel on Friday, May 26, would be between 3 and 6 p.m. local time.

However, ‘minimal traffic disruption’ is expected for the coming Saturday and Sunday, according to the forecast.

Paula Twidale, the senior vice president of AAA Travel, offered similar advice, telling those traveling on the road not to leave the house on Friday, May 26.

She added in a statement that the least busy travel days are Saturday and Sunday, while the best times to drive are in the morning or after 6 p.m.

Airports have been forced to prepare for the massive demand, with Delta reporting last month that its international flights were already 75% booked for the summer.

Delta expects it will carry 2.8 million passengers on Memorial Day weekend alone, an increase of more than 17% from 2022, and expects loads to be high over the holiday season.

The industry expects that after the years of disruption during the coronavirus pandemic, there is still a pent-up demand for travel.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CBS that “the planes are full, people are happy to return to get their lives and their joy back, and I don’t see that changing.”

“Travel is something people prioritize.”

Market leaders have warned that such demand cannot be met through adequate planning, and could lead to chaos for travelers.

“Demand for travel this summer will be as strong as we’ve seen since before the pandemic, and possibly the strongest ever,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the US Travel Association told Forbes.

“That kind of demand in a system that is hopelessly underfunded and understaffed is likely to cause significant frustration for travelers.”

United Airlines said this week it is gearing up for its “busiest Memorial Day holiday in more than a decade” and expects to serve 2.9 million customers over the long weekend.

American Airlines also expects to carry 2.9 million passengers and will operate 26,637 flights that weekend.

The airlines are working with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent the crises that erupted last year.

Supply chain issues, staff shortages and the weather combined to make for a summer of travel hell for Americans.

Thousands of flights were cancelled, forcing many to miss long-awaited vacations and celebrations with family and friends.

Earlier this month, in an effort to avoid a repeat, the FAA added 169 new high-altitude aviation corridors along the US East Coast.

The new routes, along the East Coast and offshore across the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, are expected to save 40,000 miles and 6,000 minutes of travel time each year, the FAA said.

The FAA has also allowed airlines to temporarily vacate some assigned takeoff and landing slots at major hubs in the northeastern U.S. due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Typically, airlines must use allocated slots at airports with traffic restrictions 80% of the time.

The regulator hopes that the relaxation of the rule will encourage airlines to reduce the number of flights, thus avoiding operational disruptions.

However, the United States has been slow to update its aviation infrastructure, and that could be contributing to delays and cancellations.

The problem came to light in January when a failure in one of the Federal Aviation Administration’s critical systems led to all flights nationwide being grounded for hours.

“Aviation infrastructure and technology have been chronically underfunded for years,” says Freeman.

“These problems have been caused by a series of missed opportunities over the years from Congress and within the federal government.”