The good news for Thanksgiving travelers: The price of gas is at a five-year low. The bad news: A lot more people will be on the road.
During the long holiday weekend, 46.3 million Americans are expected to go 50 miles or more from home, the highest number since 2007, according to AAA. That would be a 4.2 percent increase over last year.
Though promising for the travel industry, the figure is still 8.5 percent short of the 50.6 million high point reached in 2007.
In Colorado, AAA predicts that 752,000 Coloradans will travel over the holiday, a 3.5 percent increase over 2013. Almost 650,000 travelers are planning a road trip.
Thursday’s Colorado gas prices for regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.926, down from $3.188 a year ago.
Those flying won’t be so lucky. Average airfares are $307.52, up 1.1 percent from last year, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes ticket transactions for airlines and travel agencies. That figure doesn’t include an average of $51 in additional taxes and fees that passengers pay.
