Texas Thanksgiving Travel Expected to Slightly Increase From Last Year, Says AAA Texas
IRVING, TX--(Marketwire - November 15, 2007) - Nearly 3.4 million Texans are expected to take
trips during this holiday weekend -- only a 0.7 percent increase over 2006,
according to AAA Texas.
Almost 83 percent -- or 2.87 million -- are projected to drive to their
destinations, while 329,000 will fly.
Nationally, AAA estimates that 38.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles
or more from home this holiday, a modest 1.5 percent increase from last
year's 38.1 million travelers.
"Even with Texas gas prices hovering at the $3 mark -- close to ninety
cents more than last Thanksgiving, Texans are still planning trips to see
family and friends," said AAA Texas spokesperson Paul Flaningan. "This is
consistent with historical data, which shows that high gas prices do not
generally keep people from traveling by car during peak holiday seasons."
The top five destinations for Texas travelers, according to a survey of AAA
Travel agents, are:
1) Orlando
2) Cruises departing from Galveston
3) Austin/Hill Country
4) New York
5) Las Vegas
Airline travelers can expect the usual delays at this time of year. Take
simple "defensive flying" precautions to ease the delay. Some examples
include checking airline web sites before leaving to be aware of flight
delays, using cell phone speed dials to program the numbers for airlines,
hotels, car rentals and the people you are visiting so you can contact them
quickly. Other suggestions from AAA include taking flights early in the
day, flying direct whenever possible and making sure to have supplies like
food, cash, medicine and personal entertainment devices in carry on luggage
in case you are stuck for a few hours in the airport.
Research for Thanksgiving 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.
Contact Information: Contact:
Paul Flaningan
469.221.8217
Rose Rougeau
713.284.6552