Another Thing to Be Thankful For: $2 Gas
Life and Leisure

Another Thing to Be Thankful For: $2 Gas

REUTERS/Kevin LAmarque

Traveling for Thanksgiving? Join the crowd.

Nearly 50 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home over Thanksgiving weekend this year, the largest number since 2009, according to AAA, and more than 89 percent of them are driving to their destination.

The increase in travel reflects improvements in the economy, including sustained low gas prices, which have saved consumers more than $28 billion this year.

The national average for gas prices this week is $2.14 a gallon, a slight increase over last year at this time but more than a dollar less than it cost around Thanksgiving in 2013 or 2015.

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Thanksgiving road trips are up 1.9 percent this year, while air travel is increasing 1.6 percent. Unlike gas prices, airfares are up significantly (21 percent) this year, with an average flight on popular domestic routes costing $205. Las Vegas is the most popular Thanksgiving destination, followed by San Francisco and San Diego.

The airline industry group Airlines for America expects between 1.51 million and 2.81 million people to travel each day around the Thanksgiving holiday, with this Sunday being the busiest travel day, and Thanksgiving Day itself seeing the fewest passengers.

To accommodate the extra passengers, airlines have opened up an additional 74,000 seats each day by using larger planes and offering additional flights. Even with those extra seats, travelers should leave extra time and expect delays, especially at the biggest airports and hubs. Historically, Chicago O’Hare has had the most Thanksgiving week travel troubles, with 18 percent of flights there experiencing delays, according to Airhelp.

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