AAA: Thanksgiving Travel Unphased by High Gas Prices – Pandemic

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November 11, 2021

By News Director Jared Atha

Airports and roads may seem jam-packed this year as AAA predicts 53.4 million people nationwide to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, up 13% from 2020. And high gasoline prices aren’t stopping Americans from hitting the road.

AAA says that means highways and interstates in Oklahoma will have more traffic than usual for the holiday weekend. Airports in Oklahoma City, Lawton and Tulsa will also see more customers taking advantage of slightly lower prices.

AAA reports it is the highest single-year increase in Thanksgiving travel in 16 years.

AAA says this brings travel volumes within 5% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with air travel almost completely recovering from its dramatic fall during the pandemic, up 80% over last year. As restrictions continue to lift and consumer confidence builds, AAA urges travelers to be proactive when making their travel plans this holiday season.

Senior Vice President, of AAA Travel Paula Twidale told OK Energy Today that “Now that the borders are open and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans this holiday season.”

With 6.4 million more people traveling this Thanksgiving coupled with the recent opening of the U.S. borders to fully vaccinated international travelers—people should prepare for roads and airports to be noticeably more crowded.

Copyright 2021 Paragon Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

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