Thanksgiving Travel Expected to Increase 4% Year-Over-Year

Media release: Thanksgiving travel in the U.S. is projected to increase 4 percent this year from 2010, with more than 42.5 million Americans taking a trip of 50 miles or more away from home between Wednesday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 27. Auto travel remains the preferred method of travel this Thanksgiving with 38.2 million Americans traveling via automobile, also up 4 percent from last year. Auto travelers make up 90 percent of all holiday travelers. Click here for full report.

"This is definitely a positive sign for the travel industry," said Brent Hubele, Vice President, AAA Travel, The Auto Club Group. "Despite sluggish economic news, more people plan to travel this year than last, showing a slow, but steady recovery. Pent-up demand is likely the dominate factor contributing to the increase in the number of holiday travelers."

Almost 3.4 million leisure travelers (8% of holiday travelers) will fly during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a 1.8 percent increase from 2010. Fuel costs, combined with steady air travel demand and capacity cuts have resulted in rising airfares over the past year.  According to AAA's Leisure Travel Index, Thanksgiving airfares are expected to be 20 percent higher than last year with an average lowest round-trip rate of $212 for the top 40 U.S. air routes. The combination of higher fares and lower availability of seats is expected to limit air travel growth this holiday to less than half of total traveler growth. 

Other modes of travel (bus, train, watercraft, etc) will make up the remaining two percent of the total person-trips, with just over 900,000 people expected to travel by these modes, 14.7 percent higher than in 2010. Travel via other modes has declined significantly since 2008 and remains well below historical averages, so there is stronger pent-up demand from consumers who travel using these modes. In addition, economic conditions are dictating that those who otherwise might travel by air or automobile are now traveling by alternative modes of transportation.

 

Hotel Rates Increase; Car Rental Rates Decrease 

Hotel rates for AAA Three Diamond or mid-range lodgings are expected to increase six percent from one year ago with travelers spending an average of $145 per night compared to $136 last year. Travelers planning to stay at AAA Two Diamond hotels can expect to pay seven percent more at an average cost of $103 per night. Weekend daily car rental rates will average $37, an 11 percent decrease from last year.

Distance Traveled Decreases; Median Spending Increases

The average distance traveled by Americans during the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be 706 miles, a decline of 13.5 percent from last year when travelers planned to log an average of 816 miles. Median spending is expected to be $554, a 12 percent increase from $495 last year. However, Thanksgiving holiday travel is typically less expensive than other travel holidays because of the emphasis on the Thanksgiving meal and gathering of friends and family. Fuel and transportation costs combine to consume the largest share of holiday spending (33 percent), followed by shopping (18 percent) and food and beverages (18 percent).

AAA Offers Travelers a Variety of Trip Planning Tools Including:

• Free, printed TourBook guides and maps for members
• The online TripTik^® Travel Planner, available free to all travelers at AAA.com
• 80 free, downloadable AAA eTourBook Guides that highlight top North American travel destinations complete with AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants; AAA Editor's Picks for attractions, events and nightlife.
• AAA TripTik Mobile iPhone app provides updated gas prices, maps and direction functionality, with information on AAA Approved hotels, restaurants and attractions.
• AAA Roadside iPhone app, offers AAA members requiring emergency road service the ability to quickly send their location, vehicle description and specific breakdown details directly to AAA without placing a phone call.
• AAA Discounts iPhone app, which has been downloaded more than 900,000 times, uses GPS technology to identify a user's location and displays nearby businesses that offer members AAA Show Your Card & Save^® discounts. A version of the AAA Discounts app is also available for Android-platform smart phones.

The iPhone apps are available for download from the Apple iTunes Store, and the Android app is available for download from the Android Market.

AAA's projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight. The Boston-based economic research and consulting firm teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades. Click here to view the complete AAA / IHS Global Insight 2011 Labor Day Holiday Travel Forecast.