TRAVEL RISING: With economic recovery on the menu, travel forecasters predict more Americans will take a trip over Thanksgiving weekend than did last year as recession raged: 38.4 million of us will take trips of 50 miles or more, a 1.4 percent increase over a year ago, predicts the AAA auto club. (Last year, Thanksgiving travel plunged 25 percent compared with the year before.)
PLANE VS. CAR: There will be less flying and more driving this Thanksgiving, even though air fares are among the lowest in a decade and gas prices have risen. AAA forecasts almost 7 percent fewer fliers than a year ago, 2 percent more motorists and 1 percent more other travelers, such as bus and train riders.
GAS UP, HOTELS DOWN: Motorists can offset gasoline hikes with declines in other costs: AAA's nationwide survey found unleaded averaging $2.63 a gallon Wednesday, or 56 cents higher than a year ago. But intense competition has helped drive down the cost of a place to stay and wheels to rent: At 20 popular U.S. destinations, hotel prices are about 12 percent lower and car rentals 3 percent lower.
AIR FARES: To reduce costs in the recession, struggling airlines canceled flights and parked planes, resulting in the steepest cut in capacity since 1942, just after the U.S. entered World War II. Fares have been rising since late summer but still are expected to average 4 percent under last Thanksgiving's, according to an AAA survey. By Christmastime, fares will be back up to last year's levels, several analysts predict — with little chance for a repeat of last year's unusual, last-minute discounts. “If you're flying for the holiday period, you should not wait” to book, said Rose White of AAA Nebraska. Procrastinators saved big last year, she said, but won't this year and might not be able to get the flights they want.
FINE PRINT: Watch the fees. Many airlines are adding $5 more each way if you pay your baggage fee at the airport instead of online, for instance. Flexibility can pay off: For example, a popular Thanksgiving schedule is to depart Wednesday and return Sunday, but fares run about 25 percent cheaper if you shift that to Tuesday and Saturday. Shifting days doesn't usually save as much around Christmas but is worth a look.
A PLUS: Parking garage construction that hampered holiday travel last year at Eppley Airfield is done, said Steve Coufal, executive director of the Omaha Airport Authority. The industry's capacity cuts have not hit Eppley as severely as elsewhere in the country, he said.
SPECIAL EVENTS: State recreation areas have ramped up holiday celebrations to lure close-to-home travelers, said Nebraska Game and Parks spokesman Greg Wagner. For example, see the ranch-style parties “Christmas at the Codys” in North Platte, Dec. 18-20, or “Christmas at the Bowring” near Merriman, Dec. 6 and 12. For details and other events, see the Outdoor Calendar at outdoornebraska.org.
— Roger Buddenberg
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