Holiday Travelers Will Have Less Company This Year Over the River, Through the Woods -- But Not in the Air, Says Auto Club

    LOS ANGELES--Dec. 19, 2002--Fewer Californians are expected to drive to holiday destinations over the Christmas-New Year's season, but more of them will be flying, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    Overall, about 7.9 million Californians -- including 4.9 million Southern California residents -- are expected to drive, fly, ride or cruise to getaways over the holiday. That's a 1.25 percent decrease from Christmas-New Year's 2001, when about 8 million Californians took holiday trips.
    "We're predicting a 2.8 percent decrease in the number of vehicle travelers statewide, but an increase of almost 5 percent in the number of Californians taking air trips, indicating that the air travel industry is continuing its recovery," said Carol Thorp, Auto Club spokesperson.
    More than 6.2 million people statewide and 3.9 million Southern Californians are expected to travel by car to destinations at least 50 miles from home. California air travelers over the holidays are expected to number 1.69 million.
    The most popular destinations for local travelers continue to be those closer to home, while Hawaii is the most popular destination among those traveling by air, according to a survey of AAA Travel agents. The other most popular holiday destinations this year are:

1. Las Vegas
2. San Francisco
3. Baja California (on cruises and by car)
4. San Diego
5. Palm Springs, Calif.

    Auto travelers in California will be paying 30 to 50 cents more per gallon of gas than they were at this time last year, when increased supplies resulted in gasoline "price wars" that brought prices down to $1 a gallon or less in some areas.
    The statewide average gas price as of 12:01 a.m. today was $1.57 a gallon for regular unleaded, down from $1.63 a month ago. Oil industry analysts expect prices to stay stable through the end of the year because OPEC has hinted at increasing production quotas.
    With rain predicted for much of the Southern California area this weekend, the Auto Club is telling motorists to expect possible heavy traffic congestion caused by bad weather, particularly on popular outbound routes.
    The Auto Club also advises drivers to plan their routes by calling the California Highway Information Number at 800/427-7623 for interstate and state route lane closures and highway closures. The information is updated hourly.
    The Auto Club's holiday travel projections are based on a national telephone survey of 1,300 adults conducted by the Travel Industry Association, which does special research for AAA.
    The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by roadside assistance, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services and highway and transportation safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.