AAA predicts ‘at least’ 10% drop in Thanksgiving holiday travel
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AAA is anticipating a 10 percent drop in Thanksgiving holiday travel in 2020, the largest one-year decline since the Great Recession a dozen years ago. Travel by buses, trains and cruises, is expected to decline 76 percent, to 353,000 travelers
AAA is anticipating a 10 percent drop in Thanksgiving holiday travel in 2020, the largest one-year decline since the Great Recession a dozen years ago. Travel by buses, trains and cruises, is expected to
Photo: Matt Rourke / Associated Press
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AAA is anticipating a 10 percent drop in Thanksgiving holiday travel in 2020, the largest one-year decline since the Great Recession a dozen years ago. Travel by buses, trains and cruises, is expected to decline 76 percent, to 353,000 travelers
AAA is anticipating a 10 percent drop in Thanksgiving holiday travel in 2020, the largest one-year decline since the Great Recession a dozen years ago. Travel by buses, trains and cruises, is expected to
Photo: Matt Rourke / Associated Press
AAA is anticipating a 10 percent drop in Thanksgiving holiday travel, the largest one-year decline since the Great Recession a dozen years ago.
According to AAA Travel, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including health concerns and high unemployment, are factors to Americans’ decisions to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Based on mid-October forecast models, AAA would have expected up to 50 million Americans to travel for Thanksgiving — a drop from 55 million in 2019,” AAA said in a release.
However, as the holiday approaches and Americans monitor the public health landscape, including rising COVID-19 positive case numbers, renewed quarantine restrictions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s travel health notices, AAA expects the actual number of holiday travelers will be even lower.
“The wait-and-see travel trend continues to impact final travel decisions, especially for the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president for AAA Travel.
“The decision to travel is a personal one. For those who are considering making a trip, the majority will go by car, which provides the flexibility to modify holiday travel plans up until the day of departure.”
Travel by automobile is projected to fall 4.3 percent, to 47.8 million travelers and account for 95 percent of all holiday travel, according to AAA.
Thanksgiving air travel volume will be down by 47 percent of prior years — to 2.4 million travelers, AAA predicts. This would be the largest one-year decrease on record.
Travel by buses, trains and cruises, is expected to decline 76 percent, to 353,000 travelers, as cruise ships remain docked and more travelers opt for car trips instead of taking buses or trains, according to AAA.
Traffic volume is expected to be less than previous years, but travelers in major urban areas will experience increased delays at popular bottlenecks, up to 30 percent above normal pandemic congestion levels, AAA expects.
The worst bottleneck in the New York metro area will be I-95 south at the Bruckner interchange to George Washington Bridge on Wednesday afternoon ahead of Thanksgiving, according to AAA.
Those who decide to hit the road for Thanksgiving will find cheaper gas prices. On average, gas prices nationally are nearly 50 cents cheaper than this time last year, with October averages the lowest in more than 15 years, AAA said.
In Connecticut, the average price of a gallon of regular gas is $2.13, that’s 53 cents lower than a year ago.
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