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AAA Predicts Small Increase in Travel Volume During This Holiday Season
Gasoline prices and airfares significantly higher than last year
Helena, Mont 12/20/07 – AAA estimates that 65.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday period, only a 0.7 percent increase from last year’s 64.7 million travelers. However, for those planning to travel during the last holiday season of the year, expect gasoline prices and airfares well above last year’s levels
“Whether driving or flying, Americans face steep increases in their travel budgets during this Christmas-New Year’s holiday,” said Denice Harris, AAA Montana Spokesperson. “Gasoline prices remain at unprecedented levels for this time of year with prices of $3 a gallon or more a common sight across much of the country. Airfares averaging 16% more than last Christmas means that bargains may be hard to find for those looking to fly to their destinations.”
In Montana, the average price today is $3.06 for regular unleaded gasoline, down 12 cents from last month, but up 72 cents from the last year’s holiday season.
Approximately 53 million travelers expect to go by motor vehicle, a 0.9 percent increase from the 52.5 million who drove in 2006. With over 81 percent of all holiday travelers hitting the roads this holiday season, AAA wants to remind motorists to drive safely and remember to slow down or move over when they see emergency vehicles along the roadside such as police cars, fire trucks, ambulances or roadside assistance vehicles such as tow trucks. Most states have laws requiring motorists to change lanes away from roadside emergency vehicles or to slow down well below the posted speed limit while passing if they are unable to safely change lanes.
“Slowing down or moving over near accident scenes, or where roadside assistance vehicles are stopped along the shoulder, can help keep emergency responders and motorists safe during the holiday travel season,” said Harris.
AAA expects 8.9 million Americans (13.7 percent of holiday travelers) to travel by airplane, a slight decrease of 0.3 percent from last Christmas holiday. A projected 3.3 million travelers will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation.
Gasoline prices nearly 70 cents more than last year is not the only portion of Americans’ travel budgets more expensive this holiday season, according to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index. After no change in price from 2005 to 2006, the average price for an airline ticket is up 16% for travel during the week of Christmas and 9% during the week of New Year’s. Hotel rates for AAA-Rated Three Diamond hotels climbed 4% and 9%, respectively, when compared to Christmas and New Year’s a year ago. The only area of relief for travelers comes by way of lower car rental rates. Those renting a car during the week of Christmas will find prices 4% less than last year and 13% less if renting a car during the week of New Year’s.
The majority of holiday travelers (43.2%) will travel with two to three people from their household. Nearly thirty-seven percent plan to travel alone or with one other person from their household. About 20% of travelers will travel with four or more people from their household.
Not surprisingly, more than 70 percent of households with children under the age of 18 plan take their children with them during their holiday trips. Just over 29 percent of households with children will travel without them. The region with the greatest percentage of family travelers is the Great Lakes at 81.2 percent; followed by the Midwest at 75.1 percent; the West at 73.1 percent; the Northeast at 67%; and the Northeast at 65 percent.
The Southeast is expected to produce the largest number of automobile travelers with 14 million, followed by the West, 13.2 million; Midwest, 10.3 million; the Great Lakes, 8.4 million; and the Northeast, 7.2 million.
The greatest number of air travelers will also originate from the Southeast with 2.7 million, followed by the West with 2.5 million; the Northeast with 1.8 million; Midwest, 1 million; and the Great Lakes with 909,000.
By taking into account a vehicle’s fuel economy and area gasoline prices, automobile travelers can estimate the fuel cost of their holiday trip by using www.fuelcostcalculator.com. Also, by utilizing AAA’s Fuel Price Finder (www.aaa.com/fuelfinder), motorists can access the locations and prices for more than 100,000 gas stations across the country in order to find cheapest fuel along their route.
Research for Christmas-New Year’s holiday travel is based on a national web survey of 2,200 adults by the Travel Industry Association, which conducts special research for AAA. The survey was conducted October 22-26, 2007.
AAA Montana, a AAA MountainWest Club, is dedicated to providing its more than 109,000 members in Montana with travel, insurance, financial, and auto-related services. A fully taxpaying, not for profit corporation, AAA MountainWest, Inc. strives for improvement of motoring and traveling conditions, and is a leader for travel, civic and safety issues.
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