More than 1M Michiganders travel by plane or car for Memorial Day

AAA said more than 1.2 million Michigan residents were expected to travel 50 miles or more this Memorial Day weekend.

That’s just shy of the record pre-pandemic travel numbers in 2018 and 2019. Of those travelers, 66,000 were expected to fly.

Karen Eickmeyer and longtime friend Brenda Schooley were among those traveling by air.

While their flights to and from Denver were uncomplicated, their pre-boarding plans didn’t go as smoothly.

“They wouldn’t serve us food or drink in the Delta Club,” said Eickmeyer, who explained the boil water advisory was the reason why.

Mutua Mukeku also flew out of Metro Airport with his family. Their flight back was on time, but when they left for Kansas City Friday (May 26), their flight was delayed by about an hour.

“We actually got into the plane, and it failed the checks, so we had to go to a different plane after we boarded,” said Mukeku.

Another 62,000 Michiganders were expected to drive to their destination this Memorial Day.

After opening their summer cottage up north, Samantha Heckman headed home to Toledo with her family.

“It was fun,” Heckman said. “We went swimming in the lake, took some boat rides and stuff.”

Heckman says they hit traffic on the way up, but the drive back was smoother.

Nationwide, AAA projected 42.3 million Americans would be traveling for the holiday, up seven percent from the year before.