Holidays may see record in travelers

Sally Hewey thought all her car needed for her family’s Thanksgiving trip was a tire rotation and alignment.

But Hewey found out Tuesday at Sears Automotive that her Subaru Outback needed four new tires.

Ouch.

Better to find out in Spokane than in a breakdown while driving over the Cascade Mountains, she said.

“We’re hoping that the passes will be clear,” Hewey added.

The bad news for Hewey is that weather forecasters are predicting snow in the Cascades.

The good forecast for transportation-related businesses is that national travel is expected to return to pre-Sept. 11 levels, despite higher gasoline and airfare prices than last year, said Dave Overstreet, spokesman for AAA-Washington/Inland.

“We’re expecting record travel this time around,” said Overstreet.

AAA is predicting that 37.2 million Americans will board planes, trains and automobiles over the Thanksgiving holiday, heading for destinations 50 miles or farther from their homes.

That’s 3.1 percent more than last year and slightly more than the 36.8 million who traveled in 2000.

The increase, following three post-9/11 years of traveler malaise, signals a growing confidence, said Overstreet.

“I think that people are comfortable with security, particularly those people who are flying,” he said. “The economy has picked up, so overall people are just comfortable with where things are at.”

Pump it up

Gas prices certainly aren’t an incentive.

In Washington, the $2.038 average per gallon of unleaded is 43 cents more than this time last year. Idaho’s $2.049 average is about 41 cents more than Thanksgiving 2003.

Still, both averages are down from record highs earlier this year.

Even with the high gas prices, AAA expects 82 percent of the people traveling over Thanksgiving to do so by motor vehicle, compared with 12 percent by air.

Traffic at Spokane International Airport has been steadily increasing over the past few years. During the third quarter of this year, the number of passengers was up 9 percent compared with the same period in 2003.

Though airfares nationwide are about 2.6 percent higher than Thanksgiving last year, Spokane International will likely still be busy, said Overstreet.

Passengers should prepare themselves for crowds and lines at security checkpoints. Remember not to wrap packages.

Many choosing to stick to ground travel were scrambling Tuesday to prepare their vehicles for winter weather conditions.

“Procrastination is human nature,” said David Powell, manager of Sears Automotive.

Mechanics at the North Side auto shop have been busy over the past week replacing tires, checking car fluids and installing new batteries.

“Tomorrow will be the true sign,” Powell said Tuesday.

Snow in the mountains

Dave Moss attended his family’s big Thanksgiving celebration last weekend, and is heading up to Kimberley and the Fairmont Hot Springs in British Columbia.

After six years of driving with the same three-year battery in his Subaru Forester, Moss decided it was time for a replacement.

“I decided I don’t want to push it another year,” he said.

Those heading west over the Cascades have a good chance of clear or just wet roadways on the trip over, but could encounter snow on the return trip.

Snow showers are forecast at pass levels on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mountain snow is also forecast for the Idaho Panhandle in the coming days.