-
Emergency crews were needed in Altoona early this morning after a construction worker fell from the second story of a building.More >> Police have connected a name to the body pulled from the Chippewa River.More >> Xion in Court
Murder charges were filed today against an Altoona man accused of killing his girlfriend last week.More >> A suspicious death investigation in Altoona is being called a homicide investigation and an arrest has been made.
More >> Canoeists find body in Chippewa River.More >> Ying Xiong appears in court for the first time.More >> Two Rice Lake handymen who frame automotive beauty by a different standard.More >>
(Press Release) - AAA projects 43.6 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from
home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, an increase of 0.7 percent
over the 43.3 million people who traveled last year.
This increase marks the
fourth consecutive year of growing holiday travelers since 2008 when
Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period
is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 25.
In Wisconsin, approximately 874,000 people are expected to travel for
Thanksgiving, which is about the same as last year, according to the AAA
forecast. Of those, nearly 784,000 people plan to travel by auto while 64,000
will travel by air, with the remainder traveling by other modes of
transportation.
- Thanksgiving travelers to total 43.6 million, an increase
of 0.7 percent from the 43.3 million who traveled last year.
- Ninety percent of travelers or 39.1
million to travel by automobile, an increase of 0.6 percent.
- Holiday air travel to decline to 3.14
million travelers from 3.2 million in 2011.
- Median spending expected to drop 10
percent to $498, compared to $554 last year. Spending remains consistent with
historic averages as Americans continue to prioritize travel while finding ways
to economize.
- Average distance traveled to decline to
588 miles from 706 miles, due in part to a decrease in the number of air
travelers and Americans desire to economize budgets.
- Despite mild improvements in
unemployment, the housing market and greater consumer optimism, the economy is
still struggling to keep its head above water.
- Thanksgiving travel hit a decade low in
2008 when only 37.8 million Americans traveled.
AAA estimates the national average price of gasoline will drop to between
$3.25-3.40 a gallon by the holiday, similar to last year's average of $3.32,
which was the most expensive average ever on Thanksgiving. Despite the
historically high prices paid by motorists this year, the national average has
declined by nearly 40 cents a gallon since early October and should continue to
drop through the end of the year. The national average price of gas for
Thanksgiving from 2007-2011 is $2.75 a gallon.
Travelers in Wisconsin will find gas prices averaging $3.39, which is 40
cents lower than a month ago and 2 cents higher than a year ago.
Approximately 90 percent of travelers or 39.1 million people plan to travel
by automobile this Thanksgiving. This is a 0.6 percent increase over the 38.9
million people who traveled by auto last year. Air travel is expected to
decrease 1.7 percent as 3.14 million holiday travelers will take to the
skies.
Those traveling by air will find lower airfares according to AAA's Leisure
travel Index. For the Thanksgiving holiday the average lowest round-trip rate
is $188 for the top 40 U.S. air routes, an 11 percent decrease from last year.
Approximately 1.3 million travelers will choose other modes of transportation,
including rail, bus and cruise ship.
According to AAA's Leisure Travel Index, Thanksgiving holiday hotel rates
for AAA Three Diamond lodgings are expected to decrease one percent from a year
ago, with travelers spending an average of $143 per night compared to $145 last
year. Travelers planning to stay at AAA Two Diamond hotels can expect to pay one
percent more, at an average cost of $104 per night. Weekend daily car rental
rates will average $47, compared to $37 last year.
According to the survey of intended travelers, the average distance traveled by
Americans during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is expected to be 588 miles,
which is a decline of 16.7 percent from last year when travelers planned to log
706 miles.
Median spending is expected to be $498, a 10 percent decrease compared to
the expected median spending of intended holiday travelers ($554) in 2011.
While spending time with friends and relatives and dining are primary
activities for nearly all holidays, it is even more relevant for Thanksgiving
travelers. Therefore it is not surprising that spending time with family and
friends (75 percent) and dining (56 percent) are the most popular activities
planned by travelers. Despite lower median spending, half of all travelers (50
percent) plan to shop during the holiday which can be expected given Black
Friday occurs during the holiday weekend.
