Many say 'No thanks' to travel
Air and car travel are expected to be down this Thanksgiving from where they were last year. But buses and trains are expected to see a commuter boost. Jeremy Hobson takes a look at the ride home this holiday.
An Amtrak Acela high-speed train at South Station in Boston. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Scott Jagow: Thanksgiving weekend travel will be a little unusual this weekend. Gas prices are down, but for obvious reasons, some people will be staying home. Here's Jeremy Hobson.
Jeremy Hobson: The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $1.88. For the 4th of July holiday, it was more than $4 a gallon.
Even so, AAA spokesman Troy Green says car traffic will be down slightly.
Troy Green: You're talking about 400,000 people less who plan to travel by automobile compared to last year, but the economy is in much worse shape than it was this time last year.
The bad economy and additional charges for things like checked luggage are expected to put a dent in air travel as well -- down 7 percent from last year. But Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly says you won't notice:
Seth Kaplan: There are 12 percent fewer flights this Thanksgiving season than there were last year. So with that many fewer flights, you're going to have fewer people traveling, but you're going to have very full planes.
There is one travel sector that AAA expects will see a boost this Thanksgiving: buses and Trains. Up 6 percent from last year.
Ross Capon is President of the National Association of Railroad Passengers:
Ross Capon: Ridership has been going through the roof. Too bad Amtrak doesn't have more cars, because they've had so many sold out trains.
The cost of riding has gone up as well. A passenger on the busy northeast corridor train can expect to drop as much as $320 for a four-hour train ride tonight. If they can get a seat.
In New York, I'm Jeremy Hobson for Marketplace.
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