|
Holidays pack roads, skies
|
 |
December 23, 1997: 2:30 p.m. ET
A record 44.5 million Americans will be traveling in the last week of 1997
|
ATLANTA, Ga. (CNN) - More travelers will be in the skies and on the roads this December holiday season than in previous years, with a record 44.5 million people traveling 100 miles or more from home during the Christmas to New Year's holiday period, up 5 percent from last year.
Automotive Travel
Of the millions of expected travelers, approximately 34.9 million will travel by car, light truck or recreational vehicle.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) says highway travelers will get a break at the gas pump this year with average gasoline prices down 7.2 cents per gallon compared to this time last year.
Air Travel
The Air Transport Association (ATA) says that over 33 million people will be traveling by air during the holiday period between Dec. 18 and Jan. 5.
So far, the busiest travel days have been Dec. 21 and Dec. 19, respectively, with over 80 percent capacity passenger loads on all flights. A passenger load is the average number of airline seats filled, expressed as a percentage of filled seats to all seats on active planes.
The ATA says that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be the best days for air travel due to lighter expected passenger loads, but Jan. 4 is expected to be another busy travel day when people return home from holiday trips.
[More light air traffic days]
Rail and Bus Travel
Amtrak expects to carry over 1.25 million passengers between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5.
Many of the carrier's train routes have already sold out for the Christmas and New Year's holiday period, despite the addition of extra train cars to routes in the Northeast corridor during Christmas week.
Amtrak is also adding extra coaches and sleepers on long-distance routes to accommodate the additional volume of passengers.
The American Bus Association (ABA) says holiday bus traffic will be up 2 percent over last year, with Greyhound Bus Lines in particular expecting to carry over 1.2 million passengers over the period between Dec. 19 and Jan. 5.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
