COLUMBUS – Just as 2 million Ohioans pack up to hit the road for the big Thanksgiving travel weekend, they are getting a little break at the gas pump.
The auto club AAA says the nationwide average price for regular gas is down 16 cents since a month ago and the average price in Columbus has dropped for three weeks in a row.
Average gas prices (as of 11/22/22):
OHIO……………..$3.55
Pennsylvania….$4.01
Indiana…………..$3.81
Michigan………..$3.75
W. Virginia………$3.54
Kentucky………. $3.33
Source: AAA
The auto club predicts that 54.6 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday and Sunday and 1.9 million Ohioans will drive to their destinations. That’s a slightly over 1% increase over 2021.
Travel volume has rebounded to 96% of pre-pandemic levels in Ohio.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol saysvtroopers will be highly visible and cracking down on impaired and distracted driving and those failing to wear safety belts.
During last year’s Thanksgiving reporting period, November 24 through 28, there were 14 fatal crashes in which 17 people were killed.
Of those, seven crashes and fatalities involved alcohol or drugs and of the 16 fatalities in which seat belts were available, nine were unbelted.
The Patrol also made 305 arrests for impaired driving, authorities said.
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority is projecting nearly 200,000 passengers will depart from John Glenn Columbus International Airport and the Rickenbacker Passenger Terminal between Nov. 16 and Nov. 28, about 29,000 of them on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday will see the highest single-day volume of travelers with 15,000 passengers projected to take off from Columbus.
The 216,000 Ohioans planning to travel during the five-day holiday reporting period is up 9.1% from last Thanksgiving and exceeds pre-pandemic levels as travelers return to the air after two years of pandemic restrictions and precautions.
Airport officials advise travelers to arrive at least 90 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights and two hours for international flights and download their airline’s mobile app where they can check in for their flights, download mobile boarding passes and sign up to receive text alerts about delays and cancellations.