About 42 million
Americans will hit the road for Thanksgiving this week, and
those drivers will enjoy the cheapest gas prices in seven
years.
According to AAA, Thanksgiving fuel prices will be at their
lowest since 2008.
The nationwide average price for a gallon of gas was $2.10 on
Friday. In Washington it was $2.49.
In Kitsap, the average price for a gallon of regular hovered
around $2.45. That was 55 cents cheaper than on the same day a
year ago (an 18 percent decline).
Diesel took an even more impressive dive in the past year
dropping from $3.66 per gallon to $2.76 per gallon, a 25
percent drop.
With prices dropping steadily this month,
AAA predicts the national per-gallon average will reach $2
before Christmas, a low not seen since 2009. The global
petroleum supply continues to outpace demand, helping drive
prices lower.
As for holiday travel, AAA
forecasts a 46.9 million people will leave home for
Thanksgiving this year, 300,000 more than last year. There
will still be fewer people traveling for Thanksgiving
than before the economic recession (50.6 million in 2007 was the
high).
The vast majority of holiday travelers — nearly 90 percent
— will drive, but there’s also some good news for those who
fly. Airfares will be 10 percent lower than a year ago.
Passengers flying one of the 40 domestic routes will pay
around $169 for a round trip.
You can see a
slick AAA travel graphic here.
Larry Steagall photo
Drivers headed out of
town for the holiday will pay a tad more for a tank of
gas this year than they
did last Thanksgiving.
Just when it seemed gas
prices couldn’t get any lower … they didn’t
