Recession ruins Thanksgiving travel plans

WASHINGTON: Beatriz Menanteau and 11 family members cancelled plans for a Thanksgiving gathering in Kansas City, Missouri, this week. Two of them spent part of the past year unemployed, and one remains jobless. ���We just said this might not be the best year for this kind of big, family reunion trip,��� said Menanteau, a 32-year-old Minneapolis attorney.

The US recession is curbing travel for the November 27 Thanksgiving holiday, the start of a four-day weekend for many Americans. For the first time since 2002, fewer Americans will take to the roads, rails and air to celebrate, according to AAA, the largest US motorist group. About 1.2% fewer people expect to travel during the period, and 7.2% fewer plan to fly, AAA said.

That���s a reversal from last year, when Thanksgiving travel reached a record even as gasoline prices surged and airfares had their biggest one-month jump. This holiday season, gasoline prices are at the lowest level since February 2005. ���It���s telling us just how much the overall picture has deteriorated,��� said Nigel Gault, chief US economist at IHS Global Insight. An expected 41 million people will travel at least 80 km from home starting Wednesday.