45M Americans expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend as US gas prices rise

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]A record 45 million Americans expected to hit the road for the holiday weekend.

[00:00:04]Now, despite higher gas prices, officials say travel demand is staying strong. Lionel Moise has more on the holiday travel rush.

[00:00:12]It's not all beaches and road trips.

[00:00:14]Higher costs are front and center for many families this Memorial Day holiday with 48% of Americans saying they've cut back on their vacation plans. GasBuddy expects the national average will be around $4.48 for a gallon of gas on Memorial Day, but could top $5 a gallon if the war in Iran drags on and the Strait of Hormuz is still closed by midsummer. President Trump downplaying the war's economic impact saying it's peanuts compared to the chance of Iran having a nuclear weapon.

[00:00:42]>> We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. You want to see the world exploded? You want to see a problem? And this is peanuts. But even with high prices at the pump, it's still expected to be a busy weekend with 45 million Americans expected to travel at least 50 miles according to AAA. Nearly 3.7 million are expected to fly with plane tickets and baggage fees also elevated due to the war. And those who tried to get a head start snarled by storms and other complications. In Newark, New Jersey, air traffic controllers diverting flights warning pilots there was no more space at the airport.

[00:01:19]>> just called us and said they cannot take any more airplanes. They are in gridlock tonight. More than 1,000 flights canceled nationwide. And at LaGuardia, a sinkhole forced officials to shut down one of two runways delaying hundreds of flights. Ground, what happened to the runway 4 and 22? There's a sinkhole.

[00:01:38]Overnight, this giant X signaling to pilots the runway is still closed.

[00:01:44]As for gas prices, the average price for a gallon now tops $4 in all 50 states according to AAA. Lionel Moise, ABC News, New York.