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December 18, 2006

Holiday travelers expected to abound

Travelers will board trains, fill planes, and drive automobiles in record numbers this Christmas and New Year’s Day.

AAA Southern New England estimated today that 64.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this holiday, an increase of 2.2 percent from 63.5 million last year.

Traveling for the two holidays has been growing steadily over the past five years, according to figures provided by the auto club. Since 2002, passenger traffic has increased 9.6 percent.

“There’s a whole new mood sweeping the country about what holidays mean,” said Robert Murray, senior vice president of corporate affairs for AAA Southern New England. “It’s become a new vacation time.”

Though Thanksgiving week is usually thought of as the busiest time of year for traveling, far more people travel over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, according to AAA.

Heading out? Check projo.com's online resources for travelers, with highway, plane, train, bus, and ferry information.

-- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann

The number of travelers who will take to the roads, rails and skies for the upcoming holiday is about 70 percent more than the 38.3 million who traveled over the long Thanksgiving weekend last month.

But the Christmas-New Year’s period isn’t as congested because it lasts longer – 10 days this year versus 5 days for Thanksgiving – and there isn’t the same type of peak travel on certain days as there are for Turkey Day.

For the upcoming holiday, AAA estimates that 81 percent of all travelers will go by motor vehicle, 14 percent will go by airplane, and 5 percent will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation. Compared to last year, motor vehicle traffic is projected to be 2.1 percent higher, traveling by airplane will be up 2.7 percent and those going by train, bus, or other mode of transportation will be up 2.8 percent.

If they're going by car, travelers who gas up in Rhode Island can expect to pay more than last year. The weekly gas prices announced today show a 5-cent-per-gallon increase over last week, and 16 cents more than a year ago.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 5:13 PM | Permalink

December 18, 2006

Holiday travelers expected to abound

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