Published: November 25, 2008 10:02 am      

Holiday travel numbers may fall

Even with the recent decline in gas prices, fewer people are expected to hit the road — and airports — this week for holiday travel. Still, local police will be out in force to keep travel as safe as possible for those who do venture out for a visit.

“Wednesday is the busiest day of the year,” Capt. Jeff Sewell of Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop D said this morning. And even though he’s also heard that fewer motorists are expected on the road this holiday, every trooper in the state is expected to report for duty Wednesday.

“All of our troopers and supervisors, myself included, our days off are canceled,” he said of Wednesday and Sunday. “That’s statewide.

“We’re pretty serious about making it a safe weekend.”

The travel experts at AAA Travel predict Thanksgiving travel will be down slightly on the nation’s roads this year for the first time since 2002.

“The overall state of the economy continues to present real challenges for many Americans looking to travel this Thanksgiving,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “However, the desire to spend time with family, combined with significantly lower gasoline prices than earlier this year, is still a powerful draw which is motivating millions to travel this holiday season.”

According to AAA Travel, regular fuel prices this morning averaged $1.615 in Tulsa and $1.647 in Oklahoma City, both dropping about two cents from yesterday’s prices. That’s about 63 cents lower than last month, and $1.30 less than this time last year. (For current gas prices, check www.aaafuelgaugereport.com.)

Overall, the agency reports Oklahoma’s average gas price of $1.68 per gallon is almost the lowest in the nation, with only Missouri reporting a lower rate at $1.58.

In Oklahoma, AAA expects 439,500 Oklahomans will be on the road over the holiday, a .6 percent decrease from last year. Another 47,500 will fly to their holiday destinations, a drop of 6 percent from Thanksgiving in 2007.

Nationwide, AAA projects more than 33.2 million Americans (81 percent of all holiday travelers) will get there by motor vehicle, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 33.6 million people who drove a year ago.

“Everybody’s calling for less traffic this year than prior years, for whatever reason,” OHP’s Sewell said. “I don’t know what to expect, but we’ll be ready.”

Troopers will be looking at motorist speeds, seat belt use, and driving habits, he said. “We’re looking for aggressive drivers, speeding, changing lanes unsafely, following too closely, and obviously we will be hitting hard on the seat belts and DUIs,” Sewell said. “Actually, we’re looking for anything that causes crashes and hurts people.”

OHP Chief Van Guillotte urged drivers who are able to wait until Thursday morning to travel when traffic will be lighter. Still, motorists who observe erratic driving behavior or need help can call *55 from a cell phone to reach the nearest OHP dispatch station.

Meanwhile, across the U.S. nearly 4.54 million (11 percent of travelers) plan to fly, a 7.2 percent decrease from the 4.9 million who boarded planes last year. Approximately 3.26 million Americans nationwide (8 percent of holiday travelers) intend to travel by train, bus or other mode of transportation. That’s an increase of 5.8 percent (or 180,000 travelers) compared to the 3.08 million who traveled by a mode other than car, pickup, RV or airplane last year.

According to AAA, Thanksgiving travelers can expect to pay more for airfares and car rentals this year. Airfares are 8 percent above Thanksgiving 2007. AAA advises travelers that many changes have occurred since the last holiday travel season. Most airlines now charge fees for checked baggage and other previously complimentary services, such as beverages and snacks. Travelers should check with the airline or their travel agent about any additional fees for their trip.

On average, car rental prices are 4 percent higher than a year ago for the same period, according to AAA. But Thanksgiving travelers will find bargains when looking to book their hotel stay this year. Rates for AAA Three Diamond-rated hotels are down an average of 10 percent compared to last year.

Contact Kandra Wells at kwells@mcalesternews.com.