Traffic Expected to Ease For Thanksgiving Weekend

AURORA, Ill., Nov. 8 -- AAA-CMC estimates 34.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving holiday, compared to 36.8 million last year -- a drop in overall travel of six percent. Thirty million are projected to travel by automobile, which is down 1.6 percent from last year; however, auto travelers are expected to represent 87 percent of holiday travelers -- the highest percentage ever recorded by AAA. Last Thanksgiving, 83 percent traveled by car. The remaining 4.6 million plan to travel by airplane, train or bus compared to 6.3 million last year. The 27 percent drop is expected to take place almost entirely in air travel. "Given the massive revenue losses in the travel industry -- 20 percent and higher for the last two months -- a drop of six percent is a welcome number," said Steve Nolan, spokesman for the AAA-Chicago Motor Club. Motorists will be welcomed by the lowest gasoline prices in two years. Illinois gas prices now average $1.18 a gallon and Chicago area gas prices average $1.23. The largest number of travelers will originate in the Southeast with 8.7 million, followed by the Midwest with 6.6 million; West, 6.4 million; Great Lakes, 5.8 million; and Northeast, 2.5 million. The AAA-Chicago Motor Club is a not-for-profit, tax paying membership organization serving more than 790,000 members and the general public in Illinois and northern Indiana. The AAA-Chicago Motor Club provides automotive, insurance, travel and financial services, and is a member of The Auto Club Group.