AAA TEXAS: Weekend Gas Watch; Fuel Prices Decrease as Thanksgiving Draws Near

    HOUSTON--Nov. 22, 2002--As we move closer to the Thanksgiving holiday, the price of fuel moved lower for a fourth week in a row, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by AAA Texas. The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    All major cities in Texas posted a decrease. The Texas average is $1.36 a gallon -- down two pennies since last week. Corpus Christi showed the biggest drop for the third straight week, down nearly three cents to $1.27 a gallon. It also has the least expensive fuel. San Antonio and the Austin - San Marcos area are next; both average $1.31 a gallon -- down about three cents in each city. Dallas tops the list at $1.37 a gallon, two cents less than last week's average of $1.35.
    "It's difficult to know if motorists will see more decreases at the pumps," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "The Thanksgiving holiday is typically the busiest holiday of the year for travel and demand for gasoline will be high -- which may cause prices to increase."

	   Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., Nov. 22, 2002:

                                    Change from
Area                    Regular      last week         Record Price
----                    -------     -----------        ------------
Austin - San Marcos     $1.313       -2.7 cents      $1.538 (5/15/01)

Corpus Christi          $1.274       -3.1 cents      $1.505 (5/8/01)

Dallas                  $1.365       -2.0 cents      $1.666 (5/12/01)

Ft. Worth               $1.355       -1.8 cents      $1.660 (5/22/01)

Houston                 $1.364       -2.2 cents      $1.639 (5/12/01)

San Antonio             $1.309       -3.0 cents      $1.498 (5/9/01)

    AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.