Oregonians set to break travel records this Memorial Day weekend

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — It’s going to be a busy weekend for all of you travelers out there.

AAA predicts this year will break records with the number of people hitting the road, estimating roughly 600,000 Oregonians will travel over the long weekend.

“Memorial Day is shaping up to be the second busiest on record. The only year that beats us is 2005,” said AAA’s Marie Dodds. “We’ve never had more people go by car, so that means expect lots and lots of company.”

Dodds further noted this impact reaches beyond the roads.

“Air travel is also very robust and is seeing the second highest volume for the holiday,” she said.

“We’re actually expecting a 17% increase over Memorial Day weekend this year in passenger traffic than we saw in 2023,” added Allison Ferré with Port of Portland.

Given these numbers, Portland International Airport suggests travelers arrive at least two hours before their flight, as parking continues to be in high demand.

This could be a sign for the summer, according to Dodds.

“Normally when we see a super strong Memorial Day like this year, it signals that we will have a very strong travel season ahead,” she said.

AAA is also encouraging drivers to be prepared in an emergency and expects to rescue more than 5,000 drivers here in Oregon. They say the number one issue comes from dead batteries, so they suggest checking them before you travel.

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