COLUMBUS – Nearly 90,000 more Ohioans will take to the roads for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend this year than in 2017, a total of 1.9 million.
The auto club AAA projects that the highest number of Thanksgiving travelers will hit the road or take to the air since 2005, with 2.2 million Ohioans joining 54.3 million Americans who plan to travel at least 50 miles from home between now and Sunday.
The 4.8 percent increase over last year is due to a robust economy, said Kimberly Schwind, senior public relations manager for AAA Ohio Auto Club.
“People are making more money, they’re more confident in the economy and they have more disposable income to spend on things like travel,” Schwind said.
Thanksgiving travel by the numbers
Total…………………….54.3 million
Ohio………………………2.2 million
By Car
Total………………….. 48.4 million
Ohio…………………….1.99 million
Heaviest traffic: 11/21 afternoon/evening
Best time to drive: Thanksgiving Day
Ohio gas price (11/21/18) $2.39/gallon -14 cents from 2017
By air
Total……………………4.27 million
Ohio…………………..185,000
Busiest days: Nov. 20-21
Lightest day: Thanksgiving
-Source: AAA
Motorists will enjoy lower prices at the gas station. The national gas price average Wednesday morning was $2.61 a gallon after the largest one-week decline in pump price this year.
“The nearly 49 million Americans hitting the road for Thanksgiving will find pump prices similar to last year,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson.
Ohio’s average price of $2.39 was cheaper than most of the surrounding states.
Air travel in Ohio is expected to hit an all-time high as 185,000 Ohioans fly to their destinations, a 6.3 percent increase from last year. The 4.27 million Americans expected to fly is a 5.4 percent increase and is the highest number of Thanksgiving air travelers since 2007, Schwind said. Travelers should account for long security lines and increased drive times to the airport, she said.
The best days to travel – by land or air — will be on Thanksgiving Day, Friday, or Saturday, auto club experts say.