Thanksgiving travelers predicted to top 46 million

AAA is predicting that nearly 47 million U.S. residents will travel at least 50 miles away from home over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. 

The figure, 46.9 million, is a 0.6 percent increase over 2014 travel in the Thanksgiving period, which is defined as the Wednesday through Sunday surrounding the holiday.

The auto club said this year will see the highest number of Thanksgiving travelers since 2007 if the prediction is accurate. 

{mosads}“This Thanksgiving, more Americans will carve out time to visit friends and family since 2007,” AAA President Marshall Doney said in a statement. “While many people remain cautious about the economy and their finances, many thankful Americans continue to put a premium on traveling to spend the holiday with loved ones.”

AAA attributed part of the predicted increase to lower gas prices, which it said are nearly 71 cents cheaper per gallon on average across the country than they were at this time last year.

“One holiday gift has come early this year. Americans will likely pay the lowest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2008,” Doney said. “Lower prices are helping boost disposable income, and enabling families to kick off the holiday season with a Thanksgiving getaway.” 

The auto club predicted that 42 million of the anticipated Thanksgiving travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations, which is a 0.7 percent increase over the number of road trips taken in 2014 around the holiday. 

Another 3.6 million people are predicted to be flying to their destination, which is a 0.1 percent increase over last year’s air travel numbers. AAA said 1.4 million other trips will include trains, buses and cruise ships, which is a 1.4 percent increase over 2014 levels. 

Thanksgiving airline passengers will face ticket prices predicted to cost an average of $169, which is 10 percent lower than last year’s prices, according to AAA.

Hotel prices, meanwhile, are estimated to to average about $155 per night for a AAA three-diamond hotel, which the group said is approximately even with 2014’s numbers during the same time period.