Thanksgiving travel to rise 6 percent in Arizona

Nearly 2 million Arizonans plan to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, up 5.6 percent from last year, according to AAA Arizona’s annual travel forecast.

But the number of Arizonans who plan to fly to their destinations is down 6 percent — the first drop in Thanksgiving air travel in four years, according to AAA’s annual survey.

The number of Arizonans who plan to drive is up 9 percent, likely because low gas prices are prompting more families to hit the road, AAA says.

With a current statewide average of $2.15 per gallon of regular, Arizona drivers will be paying pay the lowest gas prices for the Thanksgiving holiday since 2008.

AAA's annual survey counts travel of 50 miles or more, from Wednesday through Sunday. 

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Nationally, AAA projects that 48.7 million Americans will travel nationwide this Thanksgiving, a 1.9 percent jump from last year and the highest number of Thanksgiving travelers nationwide since 2007.

Thanksgiving air travel nationwide is expected to rise 1.6 percent, to 3.7 million travelers.

Of the estimated 1.9 million Arizonans traveling over the holiday, more than 345,000 plan to fly, AAA says.

The AAA survey was conducted by Phoenix-based Behavior Research Center.