Audio clip
Mike Landguth
As the holidays approach, more people are choosing to pile into the car and drive to their Thanksgiving destination and avoid flying altogether, experts said.
"It's going to be expensive to travel this holiday," said Melissa Finch, a consultant for Lookout Travel Agency, located downtown on Chestnut Street.
Because of the increased costs of flying, additional tabs for luggage and tacked-on holiday fees, more people are choosing not to fly, Ms. Finch said.
About 38.4 million Americans will travel from home to celebrate Thanksgiving, which represents a 1.4 percent increase from last year. However, only 2.3 million people plan to travel by plane, which is a 6.7 percent decline from last year, according to AAA Thanksgiving travel predictions.
In Tennessee, about a million people will travel by car and about 42,000 by air. That reflects an 8 percent decline from last year, according to AAA reports. But in Georgia figures are up 3 percent as more than 1 million people plan to drive and 77,000 plan to fly.
While prices may be up around the country, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport President Mike Landguth said flights for travelers flying in and out of the city are more affordable than other places in the state.
And not all travel predictions are bleak this year, as more people nationwide plan to travel somewhere for the holiday by car, AAA reports.
"We take an increase in travel as a good sign for the economy," said Joyce Thompson, an AAA Auto Club South spokeswoman.
Ms. Thompson said AAA could not speculate if gas would go up this year as the holiday approaches.
Last year, gasoline was selling for $1.899 a gallon for regular but currently it sells in Chattanooga for $2.476 a gallon. As the holiday arrived last year, gasoline declined.
When driving during the holiday, several safety precautions should be taken including driving the speed limit, wearing a seat belt and staying off the cell phone, said Sgt. Stacey Heatherly, a spokeswoman with the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
When planning to leave, the busiest time on the road is in the evening the day before Thanksgiving, she said.
But if planning to fly for the holiday, it may be too late to book a flight, travel consultants said.
To save money, airlines are having to cut back on flights -- making it more expensive and difficult to book a ticket on popular dates before and after the holiday, said Mary Rhoden, the top consultant at Virtuoso Travel Consultants on Broad Street.
Plan ahead, because fares are not going down, Ms. Rhoden said.
"A lot of people still think the longer you wait (to book a flight) the better your prices," Ms. Finch said. "But that's not the case."
If planning to travel by plane during the holidays, make sure to get to the airport 90 minutes ahead of the flight's departure, Mr. Landguth said.
Joy Lukachick covers crime in North Georgia for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She started working at the paper in July 2009 as an intern. Raised near the Bayou, Joy’s hometown is along the outskirts of Baton Rouge, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joy was a staff writer for the Daily Reveille. When Joy isn't chasing down stories, she is a full-time supporter of ...
The security theater that the Terrorist Support Agency imposes on people doesn't make for a fun experience either. My family used to love flying, but rarely do because of the TSA's stupidity and useless, intrusive practices.
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