PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- For the fourth straight year, the number of Americans traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday will increase, but those travelers will take shorter average trips this year as they turn away from flying and try to save money, according to AAA Southern New England.
AAA projects 43.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home, an increase of 0.7 percent during the 43.3 million Americans who traveled last year. That should mark the fourth increase since 2008 when Thanksgiving travel fell 25 percent.
Ninety percent of travelers, 39.1 million, plan to travel by automobile, an increase of 0.6 percent, but air travel is expected to drop to drop 1.7 percent, to 3.14 million travelers from 3.2 million in 2011.
Wednesday will be the busiest travel day.