(KLZA)- AAA if forecasting a strong rebound in holiday travelers for Thanksgiving. 

The Auto Club Group is predicting 53.4 million Americans will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, a 13 percent increase from 2020.  It is 5 percent higher than in 2019 prior to the pandemic. 

The West North  Central census region which includes Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and four other state will see the greatest share of its population traveling with 19.6 percent of the people in the region expected to travel.

Gas prices are expected to remain elevated through the holiday season. The average price for gasoline is Nebraska this week is $3.22 per gallon.

Air travel is also seeing a boost with the average lowest air fair 27.3 percent less than last year.

Travelers are reminded to be patient.  Road and airports will be busy so plan to arrive at the airport early and expect longer times to get through TSA lines. 

Those driving are urged to make sure you and your vehicle is ready for the trip ahead.  AAA expects to response to over 400-thousand calls for help over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with most of the calls being for dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts.