Texas Thanksgiving Travel Expected to Slightly Increase From Last Year, Says AAA Texas

| Source: AAA Texas AAA Texas

IRVING, TX--(Marketwire - November 15, 2007) - Nearly 3.4 million Texans are expected to take trips during this holiday weekend -- only a 0.7 percent increase over 2006, according to AAA Texas.

Almost 83 percent -- or 2.87 million -- are projected to drive to their destinations, while 329,000 will fly.

Nationally, AAA estimates that 38.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a modest 1.5 percent increase from last year's 38.1 million travelers.

"Even with Texas gas prices hovering at the $3 mark -- close to ninety cents more than last Thanksgiving, Texans are still planning trips to see family and friends," said AAA Texas spokesperson Paul Flaningan. "This is consistent with historical data, which shows that high gas prices do not generally keep people from traveling by car during peak holiday seasons."

The top five destinations for Texas travelers, according to a survey of AAA Travel agents, are: 

1)   Orlando
2)   Cruises departing from Galveston
3)   Austin/Hill Country
4)   New York
5)   Las Vegas

Airline travelers can expect the usual delays at this time of year. Take simple "defensive flying" precautions to ease the delay. Some examples include checking airline web sites before leaving to be aware of flight delays, using cell phone speed dials to program the numbers for airlines, hotels, car rentals and the people you are visiting so you can contact them quickly. Other suggestions from AAA include taking flights early in the day, flying direct whenever possible and making sure to have supplies like food, cash, medicine and personal entertainment devices in carry on luggage in case you are stuck for a few hours in the airport.

Research for Thanksgiving holiday travel is based on a national web survey of 2,200 adults by the Travel Industry Association, which conducts special research for AAA. The survey was conducted October 22-26, 2007.

Contact Information: Contact: Paul Flaningan 469.221.8217 Rose Rougeau 713.284.6552