الرئيسية
Kaitlyn Medina, 3, peers over her welcome sign as she
tries to spot her father, Jose Medina, who was arriving at the
Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday Nov.
23, 2011. Medina, who returned from Wisconsin where he had been working
the past month, to find his children, Kaitlyn and her siblings,
Krystal, 6, second from left, Mario, 11, third from left, and Briana,
anxiously awaiting his return for Thanksgiving.(AP Photo/Rich
Pedroncelli)
By NOMAAN MERCHANT, AP
CHICAGO (AP) — Undeterred by costlier gas and airfare,
millions of Americans set out Wednesday to see friends and family in
what is expected to be the nation's busiest Thanksgiving weekend since
the financial meltdown more than three years ago.
Many people economized rather than stay home.
"We
wouldn't think of missing it," said Bill Curtis, a retiree from Los
Angeles who was with his wife at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif.
"Family is important and we love the holiday. So we cut corners other
places so we can afford to travel."
About 42.5 million people are
expected to hit the road or take to the skies for Thanksgiving this
year, according to travel tracker AAA. That's the highest number since
the start of the recession at the end of 2007.
Heavy rain slowed
down early travelers along the East Coast. Snow across parts of New
England and upstate New York made for treacherous driving and thousands
of power outages. And a mudslide covered train tracks in the Pacific
Northwest. But most of the country is expected to have clear weather
Thursday.
As afternoon traffic picked up, flight delays were reported in Boston, San Francisco, Newark, N.J., and New York.
The
average round-trip airfare for the top 40 U.S. routes is $212, up 20
percent from last year. Tickets on most Amtrak one-way routes have
climbed slightly, and drivers are paying an average $3.33 a gallon, or
16 percent more than last year, according to AAA.
Jake Pagel, a
waiter from Denver, was flying to see his girlfriend's family in San
Jose, Calif. He said he had to give up working during one of the
restaurant industry's busiest and most profitable times.
"I think
it's something you can't quantify in terms of monetary cost," he said.
"I mean, being able to spend quality time with your family is fairly
significant."
Most travelers — about 90 percent, according to AAA — are expected to hit the road.
John
Mahoney acknowledged the economy has changed the way he travels, which
is why he and his girlfriend slept in their car instead of getting a
motel room when a heavy, wet snowstorm flared up along the New York
State Thruway during their 20-hour drive from New Hampshire to St.
Louis.
"Americans will still do what Americans do. We travel the roads," he said.
Some
drivers who tried to get an early start along the Pennsylvania Turnpike
found themselves stopped by — or stuck in — a gooey, tar-like mess
after a tanker truck leaked driveway sealant along nearly 40 miles of
highway. At least 150 vehicles were disabled Tuesday night.
Shun
Tucker of suburban Chicago decided to spend the holiday with family in
Memphis, Tenn., and booked a $49 bus ticket for a nine-hour trip south.
"Yeah, I could go to the airport, but it's going to cost me $300," she
said.
Lucretia Verner and her cousin set out on a drive from
Tulsa, Okla., to Atlanta. They said they wouldn't stop to eat on the
way, making do with the water, juice, lunch meat and bread they took
with them. Colette Parr of Las Vegas took flights with connections and
switched airlines to save almost $200 on her trip to Newark, N.J.
Investment
manager Matt Rightmire and his family typically fly on Thanksgiving.
This year, they are making the holiday pilgrimage by car from New
Hampshire to his in-laws in Youngstown, Ohio. He figured he is saving
$1,000.
"It's family," he said. "That's what the holidays are
about: Spending time with family. I don't really think it's optional.
You may try to find the least expensive way to get there, but you've got
to see your family."
___
Associated Press writers Ben
Dobbin in Victor, N.Y.; Ivan Moreno in Denver; Jeannie Nuss in North
Little Rock, Ark.; David Porter in Newark, N.J.; Vicki Smith in
Morgantown, W.Va.; Chris Weber in Burbank, Calif.; and Chris Williams in
Bloomington, Minn., contributed to this report.