Thanksgiving travel expected to be down
Holiday travel at Thanksgiving is expected to be down this year, the first time in six years Americans won't be traveling as much for the holiday, according to a report from AAA.
About 41 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a decrease of 600,000, or 1.4 percent, from the 41.6 million who traveled at Thanksgiving last year.
It's the fourth consecutive holiday in 2008 that's had lower traveler numbers.
"Because of the economic hardships in our country, Americans as a whole are cutting back wherever they are able, and travel is one of those areas," said AAA Wisconsin Regional President Tom Frymark.
Most travelers will use the automobile, with 81 percent of all travelers driving to their holiday destination, a 1.2 percent decrease from 2007.
Air travelers are also expected to be lower, with 11 percent of those traveling doing so by plane, a 7.2 percent decrease from 2007.
The only increase is expected in train, bus or other modes of transportation, where 8 percent of the holiday travelers, or 3.26 million people, will take something other than a vehicle or plane to do their Thanksgiving trip, a 5.8 percent increase from 2007.
In the Midwest, the travel decline will be slight, with 0.9 percent fewer people expected to travel for Thanksgiving.
Airfare costs are eight percent higher this year, according to AAA's leisure travel index, while car rental costs are up four percent.
Hotels, however, might be a bargain this Thanksgiving, according to the AAA report, with rates at AAA three diamond-rated hotels down 10 percent compared to last year.
File photo
Air travel, and travel in general, are expected to be down from last year over the Thanksgiving holiday.
