Despite the Christmas gift of low gas prices, slightly fewer Marylanders will take to the roads this holiday, according to AAA projections.
Over 1.3 million Marylanders will travel 50 miles or more from home this week, AAA’s Mid-Atlantic office said, a 1.2 percent decline from last year. Air travel from the state will see the biggest decline, down 7.8 percent from last year.
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The predicted decline in driving comes as the average price of a gallon of gas nationwide hit its lowest point in five years, according to a survey released Sunday. The average price of a gallon of regular gas was $1.66, oil industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said.
In Maryland, the average price Monday was $1.64 a gallon, down from $1.94 a month ago and $2.94 a year ago.
“I think it’s attributable to the other parts of the travel equation,” said Rudy Maxa, an editor at National Geographic Travel Magazine. “People are just nervous about shelling out for hotels and food. I think the only bargain is the driving itself.”
» 1.3 million Marylanders to travel 50 miles or more from home, down 1.2 percent
» 185,300 to fly from Maryland, down 7.8 percent
» 32 percent of travelers to begin journey on or before Sunday, Dec. 21
» 17 percent to travel on Christmas Day
Source: AAA Mid-Atlantic
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will see a decline in passengers this week, airport spokesman Jonathan Dean said, though BWI did not have exact projections on the extent of the decrease.
“Air travel will likely be down slightly from previous years with economic pressures,” Dean said.
In recent months, airlines have trimmed the number of flights offered to meet that lack of demand, and also announced new fees for checked baggage and previously complimentary services.
“Although airline fares are lower … they constitute a large part of out-of-pocket expenses particularly when many travelers have less discretionary income due to the hard economic times,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Averella said.
AAA said 32 percent of holiday travelers were expected to leave on or before Sunday, with 10 percent of travelers journeying on Christmas Day and 14 percent after Christmas through Dec. 31.
Many more, though, will be home for the holidays, Maxa said.
“I think there’s a stay-at-home, cocoon mentality going around, even among people who can afford to drive,” Maxa said. “The only good news is the price of oil.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
