MIAMI (NewsNation Now) — From Central Park in New York City to the beaches of Florida, Americans are on the move for Memorial Day weekend.
According to AAA, 37 million Americans will travel this weekend — that’s up 60% from last year. The vast majority of people are expected to drive.
Airports are also expected to be slammed, from LAX in Los Angeles to JFK in New York.
“Our latest research showed a pandemic record of 89% of American travelers have plans to (travel) in the next six months,” said Amir Eylon with Longwoods International, a tourism market research agency.
More than 1.6 million people passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints Wednesday, compared to just 261,000 on the same day last year.
But it still doesn’t compare to 2019 when more than two million passengers flew.
As leisure travel picks up, JetBlue’s former CEO launched a new airline named Breeze Airways. They flew their first flight Thursday from Tampa, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina.