Holiday travel plans stall amid financial slump

With the average price of airfare higher than it has been in years, many people who would otherwise go home for the holidays are opting to skip the plane ticket or avoid traveling altogether.

This means that some families will be missing relatives, and others, especially in college towns like Boston, will host new guests at Thanksgiving dinner. New England-area parents are not the only ones who may have to do a little extra cooking this year.

Restaurants may be getting more diners who otherwise would have traveled over Thanksgiving. The Boston Globe reports that at Temple Bar in Cambridge, for example, Chef Tom Berry plans to order up to 20 turkeys in anticipation of the additional business.

Airline traffic into Boston is expected to be down as much as 10 percent over last year. "With absolute certainty, there will be alesser number of flyers," David Castelveter, vice president of communications for the Air Transport Association, tells the Boston Globe.

Gas prices, however, have been steadily declining since the summer,so that could impact holiday travel. Some families that typically fly may decide to drive rather than opt out of making a trip altogether.The downside, of course is that driving requires much more time and the roads are often busy on the day before and day of Thanksgiving.

With all of the stress that can accompany planning a big meal andhosting lots of relatives, avoiding the hassle of flying on thebusiest travel time of the year may be a welcome relief to some.

--Bridget O'Sullivan

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