As holiday travel reaches a peak, the gasoline is cheap
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Millions of Americans have taken to the roads and skies for holiday travel – and they’ll find the cheapest gasoline in years.
On Christmas Eve, it stood at $3.04 per gallon, according to AAA. But GasBuddy expects a national average of $3.01 a gallon by Wednesday.
That’s a modest dip from $3.10 last year.
Drivers in Georgia and South Carolina are getting a better deal than those elsewhere across the U.S.
Technical snag grounds American Airlines flights for an hour on busy Christmas Eve
Amid record holiday travel, one of the Augusta airport’s two carriers blamed a “technical issue” for grounding all its flights for a time on Christmas Eve.
The average price in Georgia on Tuesday is 2.91 per gallon, and the price in Augusta is $2.86.
In South Carolina, the average price Tuesday is $2.76, while the price in Aiken and Edgefield counties is $2.79.
Roads are expected to stay busy in the two-state region for the next few days.
About 3.7 million Georgians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home to celebrate Christmas. That’s about 100,000 more than last year. If we don’t set an overall Christmas travel record, we’re going to get close.
As usual for holidays, the Georgia Department of Transportation has temporarily halted lane closures on interstates, major state routes and roadways near key shopping areas, malls and retail districts through 10 p.m. Jan. 5.
Nationwide, AAA expects 3 million more travelers than last year. An estimated 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more. This narrowly sures the previous record set in 2019 by 64,000 travelers.
About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA.
“Airline travel is just really high right now, but m
City of Augusta raising its water rates next week
Rate hike comes nearly three months after the water system was shut down for days in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene so the system could be repaired.
ost people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.
Transportation data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company.
MORE RESOURCES
Georgia: Things for holiday travelers to know
- TSA security wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- TSA: What you can pack in your carry-on and checked baggage
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport flight delays/cancellations via FlightAware
- Gas Buddy - Cheap gas prices in Georgia
“What we are expecting, though, is an overall total record of 119 million travelers and specifically the airline engers air travel. That’s also a new record of 7.85 million. More people are flying. 2024 has been a record-breaking year for air travel in general. TSA numbers also back that up,” said Alex Diaz, AAA spokesperson.
Here are the best and worst times to travel by car over the Christmas 2024 holiday, according to AAA:
AAA wants drivers to be safe and smart this Christmas and New Year’s. The Auto Club Group will launch its free “Tow to Go” service, which is aimed at preventing impaired driving.
The program offers AAA and non- a free tow within a 10-mile radius. AAA requests that the program be used as a last resort, yet it is accessible to those who need it. The service will be available from 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24 to 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2. Call 855-2-TOW-2-GO or 855-286-9246 to request a ride.
In the air
Christmas Eve got off to a rough start for airlines Tuesday.
American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive.
American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by the Federal Aviation istration.
There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the U.S. early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow was falling early in New York and Dallas-Fort Worth International, which is American Airlines’ main hub, was getting hit with rain.
Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami
Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions.
Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking engers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights.
This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them.
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