4th of July travel expected to hit record high: Busiest days to fly and drive
More than 72 million people are expected to travel over the week of the Fourth of July, setting a new record, according to AAA.
Here's what you need to know:
Air travel
According to AAA, top domestic destinations for the Fourth of July are Seattle; Orlando, Florida; Anchorage, Alaska; Miami; and New York City.
American Airlines said it is expecting to break records, with 8.1 million customers flying on more than 80,000 flights -- a nearly 10% increase from last year. American considers holiday travel to be between Thursday, June 25, and Monday, July 6.
American's most patriotic flight on the Fourth of July will be Flight 1776, which is scheduled to leave Philadelphia at 6:46 p.m. ET and arrive in Boston in time for the fireworks show.
United Airlines said it's preparing for about 6 million passengers over the Fourth of July holiday, which it considers from Friday, June 26 to Monday, July 6. The airline said it's seeing an increase in bookings for Philadelphia and Boston.
Alaska Airlines said it has 6,283 flights scheduled from Friday, July 3 to Monday, July 6 -- a 2.5% increase from last year. The airline said its busiest days will be July 3 and July 6.
Road travel
AAA projects 61.4 million people will travel by car over the Fourth of July holiday, which it considers Saturday, June 27, through Sunday, July 5.
Thursday, July 2, will be the busiest day to pick up a rental car, with Orlando, Florida, Denver, Boston, Los Angeles and New York City showing the highest demand, according to Hertz.
If you're hitting the road on Saturday, June 27, the worst traffic is expected from noon to 5 p.m., according to transportation analytics company INRIX. Drivers are advised to head out the door before 10 a.m.
Those traveling home on Sunday, July 5, will find the roads emptiest before 11 a.m., with the worst traffic from noon to 6 p.m., INRIX said.
The national average for a gallon of gas on Thursday stood at $3.83, which amounts to a more than 20% rise from this time last year, AAA data showed.
The three states with the highest average gas prices -- California, Washington and Hawaii -- have fuel costs above an average of $5 per gallon. Seven additional states hold average prices above $4 a gallon, including New York and Illinois.
Indiana boasts an average price of $3.12 a gallon, the lowest of any state. Another 10 states are seeing average fuel costs below $3.50 a gallon, including Texas and Missouri.
Gas prices surged after the Iran war choked off global oil supply, but fuel costs have declined in recent weeks in response to negotiations between the United States and Iran. The national average remains about 85 cents higher than where it stood before the outbreak of war in late February.
ABC News' Max Zahn contributed to this report.
