AAA forecasts a decline in Christmas season travel across the board.
Travellers can expect lower hotel rates but higher rental car rates depending on location.
An online survey was done which indicates nearly 63.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday season. This is down 2 percent from last year's 65.3 million figure. If AAA's forecast is accurate, this will be the first decline in Christmas season travel since 2002.
The decline in automobile travel this season is projected to fall only 1 percent to about 52.4 million from 53 million last year this time. Gas prices now are lower than they were this time last year, yet I imagine that lower discretionary incomes are contributing to the decline in automobile travel this year.
The largest decline projected by AAA is in airline travel, and such is expected to decline about 9 percent to 8.1 million passengers. This is down from the 8.9 million passengers travelling by air a year ago.
AAA's forecast on airline travel this holiday season concurs with an earlier report from the Air Transport Association of America, which forecasts a 9 percent drop in expected passengers by air between December 25, 2008 and January 7, 2009.
The upshot is travellers this holiday season can expect lower hotel rates but higher car rental rates depending on location.
AAA is said to have compiled their data through the Travel Industry Association, as well as a conducted online survey of 7,300 adults nationwide.
Read more at the AAA Newsroom.
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