MANATEE — AAA expects slightly more Americans to travel during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday than last year amid signs of a nascent economic recovery.
An estimated 38.4 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during the Wednesday-to-Sunday holiday period, a 1.4 percent increase from 37.8 million the previous year, AAA said Wednesday.
The projected increase reflects lower gas prices and growing consumer confidence that the worst of the economic recession is over, AAA officials said.
“We think there’s a more positive attitude among consumers as far as the economic recovery is concerned, and that’s showing up in travel plans,” said Gregg Laskoski, spokesman for AAA Auto Club South in Tampa.
But the economy still is influencing those plans, especially gasoline prices that are averaging 54 cents a gallon cheaper than a year ago.
About 86 percent are expected to drive over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving, while just 6.3 percent will be flying. In Florida, air travel is projected to drop by 7 percent.
“With a depressed overall economy, travelers are more likely to choose the road in lieu of air travel when making travel plans this Thanksgiving, in an effort to keep costs as low as possible,” according to a report by IHS Global Insight and D.K. Shifflet & Associates, which surveyed 1,350 people for the AAA travel projections.
The percentage of those flying during the Thanksgiving holiday has been declining since 2000, when 13 percent took to the skies. AAA blamed the drop-off, which the IHS/D.K. Shifflet report called “a dramatic change in consumer behavior for this holiday,” on growing costs and frustrations associated with air travel.
“When we talk to people, they’re making it clear that they’re dissatisfied with the fewer flights, the higher airfares, the increased fees,” Laskoski said. “It’s not a consumer-friendly environment.”
Although Thanksgiving fares are averaging just 2 percent more than last year, according to Microsoft’s fare-watching Web site Bing Travel, the cost of flying has risen even more as airlines raise fees.
For example, several airlines have imposed a $20 holiday surcharge for those flying on Nov. 29 and 30, according to BestFares.com, another Web site that monitors airfares. Airlines also have cut back on capacity, giving them more leverage to charge higher prices, said Tom Parsons, its chief executive.
“This is one of the few years I can remember where we haven’t seen ‘turkey fares’ to fill up planes before Thanksgiving,” he said. “They’re not giving up those seats as cheaply for the holidays as they used to.”
That has led to more people opting to drive, even if it’s not their own vehicles. Enterprise Rent-A-Car said it is seeing a double-digit percentage increase in reservations at its neighborhood and non-airport locations.
Duane Marsteller, transportation/growth and development reporter, can be reached at 745-7080, ext. 2630.
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