---

AAA: Many Thanksgiving Travelers in the West

24 November 1997

AAA: Many Thanksgiving Travelers in the West

                       Busiest Travel Holiday on Record

    SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 24 -- Northern Californians will be
filling the skyways and highways around Thanksgiving as reasonable airfares, a
strong economy and lower gasoline prices encourage travel, says AAA.
    "Airports will be jammed the Wednesday before and the Sunday following
Thanksgiving -- the busiest days of the year for air travel," says Scharlene
Murray of travel agency operations at AAA in San Francisco.
    "If you are traveling on these days, arrive at the airport two hours
before departure for domestic flights, and three hours prior to international
departures," advises Murray.  "Parking lots will fill quickly, so it's best to
be dropped off or use public transportation."
    Roadways will also be busy as Northern Californians drive to Southern
California, coastal areas, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Las Vegas and Arizona, according
to AAA.
    Motorists will get some pocketbook relief as gasoline prices dipped
3 cents from mid-October -- the first price drop at Northern California
pumps in four months, according to AAA's gas survey.
    Gasoline averaged $1.43 for a gallon of regular unleaded self-serve in
Northern California -- a dime more than this time last year.  This is
19 cents higher than the U.S. average, AAA's survey shows.
    Besides visiting relatives, many entire families are flying to Hawaii,
Mexico and Las Vegas, or taking three- and four-day cruises from Los Angeles
to Mexico, said Murray.
    A record number of Americans will travel for Thanksgiving as an
expected 32.4 million will venture 100 miles or more from home -- a 3 percent
increase from last year, according to a AAA survey. Of those, 84 percent will
travel by automobile.
    Most holiday travelers -- 62 percent -- expect to stay with family and
friends, while 26 percent plan to stay overnight at a hotel or motel,
the survey shows.
    Thanksgiving day and the Friday after are very slow air travel days. Be
sure to bring a government-issued identification for check-in -- even
for children.
    The AAA affiliate for Northern California, Nevada and Utah serves
nearly four million members with an array of automotive, travel and insurance
services.

SOURCE  AAA