November 21, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- AAA Carolinas says fewer people in the Carolinas are planning to travel this Thanksgiving as economic concerns outweigh the benefits of falling gas prices.

The travel services company said Friday that it expects about 25,000 fewer motorists and 21,000 fewer air passengers in the Carolinas to travel more than 50 miles from home this year. That's the first Thanksgiving travel downturn in six years.

Gas prices in both states are less than half of what they were just two months ago, when prices hit $4 a gallon following Hurricane Ike. Prices are down by more than a dollar compared to last Thanksgiving.

AAA Carolinas said an estimated 1.8 million people in North Carolina and South Carolina will still travel.

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On the Net:
AAA Carolinas: www.aaacarolinas.com/

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)