AAA: 46.9M expected to travel for Thanksgiving

AAA is forecasting that 46.9 million travelers will journey at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving. / COURTESY AAA NORTHEAST
AAA is forecasting that 46.9 million travelers will journey at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving. / COURTESY AAA NORTHEAST

PROVIDENCE – AAA Travel is forecasting that 46.9 million Americans will journey at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, the most since 2007.
However, the number of travelers expected represents only a six-tenths of a percentage point increase compared with the 46.6 million who traveled last year, AAA said.
Still, with 300,000 additional holiday travelers estimated, this marks the seventh consecutive year of growth for Thanksgiving travel, AAA said.

“This Thanksgiving, the greatest number of Americans since 2007 will carve out time to visit family and friends,” Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Northeast senior vice president of public and government affairs, said in a statement. “While many people remain cautious about the economy and their finances, many thankful Americans continue to put a premium on traveling to spend the holiday with loved ones.”

AAA noted that gas prices average 82 cents less than a year ago, providing “an early holiday bonus” to the more than 89 percent of holiday travelers driving to destinations.
Among more than 2 million New England residents expected to travel, 1.8 million will use cars, and another 226,000 will fly to their destinations.
Nationwide, nearly 42 million Americans are expected to take a holiday road trip for Thanksgiving, a 0.7 percent increase. Air travel is expected to increase 0.1 percent, with 3.6 million Americans boarding planes to their destinations. Travel by other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses, will drop 1.4 percent this Thanksgiving to 1.4 million travelers.
AAA also expects that it will rescue more than 360,000 motorists this Thanksgiving, for reasons ranging from dead batteries to flat tires and lockouts. AAA recommends motorists check the condition of their battery and tires before heading out on a holiday getaway.
AAA’s Thanksgiving travel projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight of Colorado.

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