AAA: Fourth of July travel expected to wane

The travel organization estimates 40.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home for the holiday, down 1.3 percent, or about 550,000 people, from 2007.

The majority of travelers – about 85 percent – are expected to travel by automobile, down 1.2 percent from last year. Another 11 percent will travel by airplane, down 2.3 percent, and 4 percent will travel by train, bus or other mode.

“Clearly, gas prices are continuing to take a toll on the traveler’s budget, but the travel industry is responding, as they have in the past, with discounts, promotions and other incentives to get people traveling this holiday,” AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet said in the report.

AAA’s Leisure Travel Index estimates that airfares during the holiday weekend will be up 13 percent from 2007, on top of various new fees for baggage and amenities that airlines have begun charging. Hotel rates, however, are expected to be unchanged from a year ago, the index said.

The Southwest is expected to produce the most weekend automobile travelers at 8.7 million people, followed by the West, with 8.5 million travelers, the Midwest, with 6.5 million travelers, the Northeast, with 5.7 million travelers, and the Great Lakes, with 4.7 million travelers.

As for air travel, the West is predicted to produce the most travelers, with 1.78 million, followed by the Southwest, with 813,000 travelers, the Midwest, with 727,000 travelers, the Northeast, with 695,000 travelers, and the Great Lakes, with 518,000 travelers.

AAA’s Fourth of July projections are derived from the Travel Industry Association’s Holiday Travel Forecast Model, which collects data through online surveys nationwide. The model also incorporates historical data and other economic information, such as gross domestic product, disposable income, employment and travel costs.[[In-content Ad]]