Studer Community Institute

Cheap gas fuels Thanksgiving travel

November 25, 2014
/ Louis Cooper
/ community-dashboard

For many, this Thanksgiving holiday means not only stuffing a turkey with cornbread and composing gratitude lists on Facebook, but also stuffing sweaters into luggage and being grateful for low gas prices. In Pensacola, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.682 on Tuesday, according to AAA. A year before, it was $3.277. Statewide, the average on Tuesday was $2.807, where it had been $3.413 a year ago. "Gas prices are a major factor in boosting disposable income and consumer spending," said Mark Jenkins, an AAA spokesman in Florida. "People saving money at the pumps means they have more money to spend on travel, dinning out and shopping." In Florida, 2.1 million residents are expected to drive, Jenkins said. Another 200,000 Floridians are expected to travel by plane, bus, train or cruise ship. That total is about 4.7 percent larger than last year. Florida's increase mirrors the national jump of 4.2 percent in travel this year. "That's a pretty dramatic increase," Jenkins said. "Over the last couple of years we've only seen an increase of about 2 percent or less. The drop in gas prices is not translating into cheaper airfares, he said. "We're not seeing air fares lower than they were last year," Jenkins said. "In fact, they are a couple dollars higher. The lowest average round trip ticket is about $189 for Thanksgiving week. " Nevertheless, the skies over Pensacola will be busy for Thanksgiving. Belinda Zephir, spokeswoman for the Pensacola International Airport, said all 5,000 seats on planes that arrive and leave the airport every day are expected to fill this week. "From what I have been told by the airlines, Wednesday is going to be the typical peak day, They're full," Zephir said, "The peak time for departures is always Wednesday and then, again, on the return, on Sunday and Monday. Those flights are typically full." Zephir encouraged travelers to arrive at the airport early to find parking, to be aware of the weight of checked baggage and what their airline allows, and to remember that most airlines allow travelers who do not need to check bags to use smartphone apps to board directly without stopping at a kiosk or ticket counter. Interestingly, Zephir said the Thanksgiving holiday is only a dress rehearsal for the biggest air travel holiday of the season. "We anticipate higher travel during the Christmas holidays because of the length of the time they're gone," she said. "People tend to leave a little earlier and stay a little longer." Traffic ticks up at Christmas, especially, because students at Pensacola Christian College leave for winter break and many members of the military take leave. Some air carriers even bring in bigger planes for Christmas, Zephir said. For those staying in Pensacola for the Thanksgiving weekend, the weather will be cool. The National Weather Service says Thanksgiving Day in Pensacola should be clear with a high of 61 and a low of 43. The weekend will bring daytime highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s and a slight chance of showers

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Cheap gas fuels Thanksgiving travel

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