November 16, 2010 – AAA is forecasting the number of Americans traveling over Thanksgiving will increase 11.4 percent from 2009, with approximately 42.2 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home. Last year, 37.9 million Americans traveled over the Thanksgiving holiday. The 2010 Thanksgiving travel period is defined as Wednesday, November 24 to Sunday, November 28.

“While Americans remain cautious with household budgets and discretionary spending, many are in a better financial position this Thanksgiving than a year ago,” said Tom Chestnut, President/CEO of AAA Western and Central New York. “That improvement, along with a strong desire to spend time with friends and family, is expected to propel a significant increase in Thanksgiving travel.”

Automobile dominant mode of transportation

Trips by automobile remain the dominant mode of transportation for holiday travel with 94 percent of travelers, or 39.7 million people, driving to their destination. This is an increase of 12 percent from last Thanksgiving when 35.5 million Americans reached their destination by motor vehicle.

The current national average price of self-serve regular gasoline is $2.89 per gallon. Drivers across New York State can expect to pay an average of $3.10. In the Buffalo/Niagara region, the average per gallon price for regular unleaded is $3.07 as of this morning. In Rochester and the Finger Lakes, the average price is $3.06 and in Syracuse and Central New York, motorists are paying $3.06 on average.

Air travel expected to increase

Air travel is expected to account for four percent of all travel with 1.62 million holiday flyers, an increase of 3.5 percent from last year’s 1.57 million flyers. Trips by other modes, including rail, bus and watercraft, will be utilized by two percent of all travelers.

Average distance for travel remains unchanged

The average travel distance by Americans this Thanksgiving is expected to be 816 miles, virtually the same as one year ago (815 miles).

Median spending projected to be $495

Median spending is expected to be $495, roughly the same as last year when median spending was $494. Thanksgiving travel tends to be less expensive compared to other travel holidays because of its emphasis on the meal and the gathering of friends and family. Eighty-two percent of Americans reported that the main purpose of their upcoming trip was a visit with friends or family.

Rates for hotels & airfare up, car rental prices down

According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, hotel rates for AAA Three Diamond lodgings are expected to increase six percent from a year ago with travelers spending an average of $136 per night compared to $128 last year. Travelers planning to stay at AAA Two Diamond hotels can expect to pay four percent more at an average cost of $96 per night. Airfare over Thanksgiving is expected to increase four percent from last year with an average lowest round-trip rate of $176. Weekend daily car rental rates will decrease four percent to an average of $42.

AAA has forecasted an increase in travel for each of the travel holidays this year. Additionally, AAA travel agents are continuing to report strong increases in the number of travelers making reservations. Hotel, car and vacation package reservations for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday are up more than 10 percent compared to last year.

In cooperation with AAA, IHS Global Insight has developed a unique approach to forecasting actual travel that explicitly considers current economic conditions, past Thanksgiving holiday travel trends and behavior, and a recent survey assessment of pre-holiday American travel intentions. The survey was completed October 21 to October 24, 2010.

As Upstate New York’s largest member services organization, AAA provides nearly 880,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive related services. Since its founding in 1900, AAA has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Visit AAA at www.AAA.com.