AAA: Holiday travel down, air traffic up - Wichita Business Journal:

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AAA expects 37.1 milliobn Americans will take a trip of 50 milew or longer duringthe weekend, which is typically the busiesgt time of the year for auto That’s down 1.9 percent from the 37.8 million who traveled during the same period last year, AAA citing research by IHS Global Insight. And it’sz a 12.3 percent decline from the 42.3 million travelers in 2007. The air-travek industry is expected to seea 4.9 percent increasde in bookings for the weeken d this year. But air travel will account for only 5 percenty of July 4leisure travel, AAA says. AAA projects a 2.6 percentr decline in auto droppingto 32.6 million from 33.4 million last year.
The organizatio n says rising gasoline prices are influencinvgtravel patterns, as are plummeting airfares. The lowest averagw published airfares over the Independence Day weekendd are expected to decrease 16 percent from last accordingto AAA’s Leisurer Travel Index.