Thanksgiving travel up despite higher prices 

Thanksgiving travel up despite higher prices - Millions of Americans have taken to the skies and roads for Thanksgiving this year despite higher gas prices and costlier airfares. About 42.5 million people are expected to drive, fly or ride trains to their Thanksgiving destinations, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). That's the highest number since the start of the recession, showing that Americans are willing to travel to their families even while household budgets are tight.

"Sacrifice to see the ones you love, that's what we do," said John Mahoney, who was driving 20 hours with his girlfriend from his home in New Hampshire to visit his mother and sister in St. Louis. "Americans will still do what Americans do. We travel the roads."

Mahoney, 44, acknowledged the economy has changed the way he travels — which is why the couple slept in the car instead of getting a motel room when a heavy, wet snowstorm flared up along the New York State Thruway.

Despite the comeback in Thanksgiving travel, costs are up. This year:

drivers are paying almost 20 percent more for gas, which has reached an average of $3.42 a gallon;

the average round-trip airfare for the top 40 U.S. routes is $212, up 20 percent from last year. Earlier this month, Priceline.com said Thanksgiving fares averaged $407, up 6 percent from the already high fares of 2010;

rail tickets on most one-way Amtrak trips have climbed 2 to 5 percent.

A wintry storm socked New England states with a mix of heavy snow and freezing rain on Wednesday, sparking power outages and delaying some flights for Thanksgiving on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Roughly 17,000 customers from Maine to New York were without electricity by midafternoon after heavy snow toppled trees, limbs and power lines in some places.

Rain eased up in the Mid-Atlantic after downpours overnight, but as much as 10 inches of snow was forecast across the higher elevations of upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine by afternoon, when the storm was expected to end, the National Weather Service said.

"High-impact winter storm will adversely affect holiday travel early this morning and into this afternoon," NWS said in a winter storm warning.

"People should plan their travel accordingly and be prepared to allow plenty of extra time to reach their destination."

Airlines are cautioning passengers from New York to Philadelphia, Hartford and Boston, to expect significant delays on this busiest travel day of the year. LaGuardia Airport is urging travelers to arrive at least two hours before their scheduled departure time to allow for increased holiday traffic.

Higher food prices will affect the wallets of those who aren't traveling. A 16-pound turkey and all the trimmings will cost an average of $49.20, a 13 percent jump from last year, or about $5.73 more, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which says grocers have raised prices to keep pace with higher-priced commodities.

Among those staying home is Damian Buchwald of Buffalo, N.Y., who picked up a second job earlier this year. His new work schedule has helped pay the bills but leaves him without time to travel to Connecticut to spend the holiday with his wife's family.

This year, the couple and their teenage son, Raven, will celebrate Thanksgiving at home with his mother, neighbors and friends in town. "When you can't travel and people can't travel to you, you gather your closest friends. And that way nobody has to pay an arm and a leg, and everyone can eat well," Buchwald said.

But having relatives over for dinner is becoming more expensive, too, and not everyone can afford to splurge on a feast.

In Pawtucket, R.I., Jackie Galinis was among those looking for help to put a proper meal on the table. She stopped at a community center this week seeking a donated food basket. But by the time she arrived, all 300 turkeys had been claimed.

So Galinis, an unemployed retail worker, will make do with what's in her apartment. "We'll have to eat whatever I've got, so I'm thinking chicken," she said.

Then her eyes lit up. "Actually, I think I've got red meat in the freezer, some corned beef. We could do a boiled dinner."

Americans are still taking to the skies but in smaller numbers. Earlier this month, the Airline Transport Association of America (ATA), the trade group for the U.S. airline industry, forecasted that 23.2 million people would fly over the 12-day period between Friday, Nov. 18, and Tuesday, Nov. 29. That represents a 2 percent decline from last year and a 12 percent drop from the peak of 26.2 million set in 2006.

“We’re projecting full flights this Thanksgiving despite a 2 percent decline year over year in the number of passengers traveling on U.S. airlines,” said John Heimlich, ATA’s chief economist.

The busiest days, says ATA, will be Sunday, Nov. 27 (2.3 million); Friday, Nov. 18 (2.2 million); and Monday, Nov. 28 (2.2 million). Not surprisingly, the least-busy day will be Thanksgiving, when 1.5 million people are expected to fly.

via: msnbc