AAA Chicago Expects Thanksgiving Travel to Rise

AURORA, Ill., Nov. 19, 2002; Americans are expected to take to the skies in larger numbers this Thanksgiving period than they did a year ago with overall travel also projected to be up this holiday, according to AAA Chicago.

The club estimates that 35.9 million Americans will take a trip 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, which is 1.7 percent higher than the 35.3 million who traveled last year.

A total of 30.8 million people plan to go by motor vehicle, a nearly 1 percent increase from a year ago when 30.6 million traveled by car. Air travel is expected to climb 6 percent as 5.1 million Americans plan to fly this holiday compared to 4.8 million last Thanksgiving.

"Despite an economy that still shows only sporadic signs of recovery, holiday travelers are returning to the skies in numbers almost as heavy as during the Thanksgiving periods prior to 2001," said AAA Chicago spokesman Steve Nolan. "This is definitely is a positive sign for the nation's airline industry, which has struggled mightily in the last year."

The greatest number of Thanksgiving auto travelers will originate in the Southeast with 8.8 million, followed by the West with 6.8 million; Midwest, 6.7 million; Great Lakes, 6.1 million; and Northeast, 2.4 million.

AAA Chicago is a not-for-profit, tax paying membership organization serving more than 790,000 members and the general public in Illinois and northern Indiana. AAA Chicago provides automotive, insurance, travel and financial services, and is a member of The Auto Club Group.