CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Memorial Day weekend is coming up and many Americans have plans to travel this year.

Just know that if you have plans to travel many people have the same idea so you can expect to see some traffic and crowds at the airport.

Experts at AAA Northeast such as Mark Schieldrop think this is going to be the second busiest Memorial holiday on record.

Memorial Day is approaching and Americans did not hesitate to plan a mini getaway for the extended weekend. Schieldrop told 22News that the pre-pandemic travel numbers are making their way back, “It’s going to be busy out there especially on the roadways as millions of Americans are expected to travel. The vast majority will be traveling by car so the road trips are going to be big this year and the weather looks like leading into Memorial Day is really good too so all signs point to a very busy Memorial Day holiday.”

According to AAA, 38.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend and drivers can expect to see gas prices similar to last year when the national average was about $3.57. He says current gas prices are not holding back any travel plans.

AAA says, this year nearly 44 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home for Memorial Day. This is a 4% increase from last year. And while many people are going on road trips, the airports are also preparing for a busy weekend.

The association says this will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005. AAA expects that there will be 3.51 million air travelers this holiday weekend which is a 4.8% increase over last year. And about two million people are expected to travel by bus, train, or cruise.

Schieldrop says Thursday & Friday between noon and about 7 p.m. is when the roads will be very busy. So you may want to head out early if you have plans to travel.