Air passengers up in the air about plane travel
The number of travelers this holiday season will reach new records but many will be reluctant flyers. A new survey shows almost two in five airline travelers would prefer almost any other type of transportation — even a bus.
The prescription for changing that attitude: eliminate current hassles, says the U.S. Travel Association.
The group says travelers should ask for two “gifts” from the airlines and the troubled TSA (Transportation Security Administration):
“First, TSA should expand its PreCheck trusted traveler program to allow more travelers an efficient and swifter screening process. Second, to remedy the carry-on chaos that's clogging checkpoints, a relatively minor change to airlines' luggage policies should be made to include in the price of a ticket the costs associated with checking one piece of luggage,” the group says.
Said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the organization:
"Our research shows that reducing hassle without compromising security will encourage more Americans to fly — as many as two to three additional trips a year — leading to an additional $85 billion in spending that would support 900,000 American jobs."
Airlines for America, the US airline industry's trade group, is forecasting about 43.3 million air travelers during the 21 days surrounding Christmas and New Year's, a 1 percent drop from the same period last year.
It would be the smallest number of air travelers since the organization started collecting holiday sample data seven years ago.
At the same time, about 83.6 million people plan to drive this Christmas and New Year's, a 2.1 percent increase from last year, AAA forecasts. Their trips will cost more this year than they paid in 2010, however.
The current national average price for regular unleaded gasoline is approximately $3.27 per gallon, about 29 cents more than one year ago. However, the national average price is about 71 cents less than this year's peak price of $3.98 on May 5, said the AP.
Amtrak and Greyhound don’t release projected figures but travel at both should be up.
“Getting around on the ground is the choice of many travelers who don't want to risk flight delays and cancellations, which run at a higher rate over the Christmas and New Year's holidays,” says the AP.
These travelers often prefer the freedom of driving — picking their departure times and packing what they need — even if it means dealing with high fuel prices and traffic.
By David Wilkening
David
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