Thanksgiving Travel to Increase by Less Than One Percent, Says AAA; Air Travel Up, Auto Travel Holds Steady Despite Higher Costs

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2005--Reduced consumer confidence and higher travel prices will slow the growth in Americans' travel plans but will not keep families home this Thanksgiving, according to AAA. AAA estimates that 37.29 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a 0.8 percent increase from last year's 37 million travelers.

"Higher prices and sagging consumer confidence will make Thanksgiving travel growth a bit less robust this holiday, although airports and highways will be as busy as ever," said AAA CEO and President Robert L. Darbelnet. "Prices for gasoline, hotel rooms and rental cars have increased, but that will not keep people from traveling. You'd be hard pressed to tell Grandma that you're not coming for Thanksgiving dinner because it will cost an extra ten dollars to fill up your gas tank."

Approximately 30.84 million travelers (83 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go by motor vehicle, a 0.7 percent increase from the 30.61 million who drove a year ago.

Holiday auto travelers will find gas prices nationwide currently averaging $2.29 for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline--down a whopping 48 cents during the last month, but still about 32 cents higher than a year ago.

"Americans will find ways to cover the higher gas prices," said Darbelnet. "They might choose to drive a more fuel-efficient car, visit a relative who lives closer to home, or pack a lunch to eat on the road, but they'll still hit the highways by the millions."

Another 4.64 million (12 percent of holiday travelers) plan to travel by airplane, up 1.3 percent from the 4.59 million that flew last Thanksgiving holiday. A projected 1.81 million travelers (5 percent) will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation, up slightly from 1.80 million a year ago.

"With crowded airports, travelers should leave extra time for check-in and security," said Darbelnet. "If you miss your plane, it's unlikely that there will be an empty seat for you on the next flight."

In addition to higher prices at the pump, auto travelers will face higher prices for hotels and car rentals, according to AAA's Leisure Travel Index. Holiday hotel rates are up 1.5 percent for AAA-rated Three Diamond hotels, as strong demand allows hoteliers to increase rates that they raised last Thanksgiving, too. Expect higher rates for rental cars, as well, with an average increase of 3.2 percent. The one exception is air fares, where expanded service by low cost carriers on some routes has pushed fares down 4.8 percent on average from last year.

"AAA's Leisure Travel Index shows air fares down overall, but many travelers were surprised to find discount fares were snapped up earlier than expected this holiday. Whereas last year 'early bookers' might have bought their Thanksgiving plane tickets in September, this year we saw many people booking Thanksgiving flights during the summer," said Darbelnet.

The greatest number of Thanksgiving auto travelers will originate in the Southeast with 8.81 million, followed by the West, 7.05 million; Midwest, 6.58 million; the Great Lakes, 6.06 million; and the Northeast, 2.34 million.

The Southeast is expected to produce the largest number of air travelers with 1.27 million, followed closely by the West with 1.24 million; then the Midwest with 760,000; the Northeast with 750,000; and Great Lakes with 620,000.

Hot water heaters will be working overtime, as 55 percent of Thanksgiving travelers expect to stay at a friend or relative's home. Hotels and motels are a distant second at 28 percent, followed by cabin/condo, 7 percent; camper/trailer/RV/tent, 2 percent; bed and breakfast, 2 percent; other, 2 percent; no overnight stay, 3 percent; and didn't know, 1 percent.

Small towns and rural areas are the expected destination for 37 percent of Thanksgiving travelers, followed closely by cities, 34 percent. Oceans and beaches should see 10 percent of travelers, followed by mountain areas, 10 percent; 3 percent for lake areas, 2 percent for state/national parks and 1 percent for theme/amusement parks. Another 3 percent responded with other.

Several AAA online offerings can help travelers with their holiday journeys. AAA's Internet TripTik and TourBook put comprehensive trip planning resources at AAA members' fingertips through http://www.AAA.com. AAA offers public access to its online trip planning tool through http://www.AAAmaps.com.

Research for Thanksgiving holiday travel is based on a national telephone survey of 1,383 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, which conducts special research for AAA.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its more than 48 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services and member-only savings. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.

AAA news releases can be found online at http://www.aaa.com/news