Gas Prices Fall As Millions Of Floridians Hit The Road For Thanksgiving Travel

As millions of Floridians prepare to travel for Thanksgiving, there is slight relief at the pumps, as gasoline prices have dropped.

With more than 2.9 million Floridians forecast to hit the road for one of the busiest travel periods of the year, the AAA said the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline Monday was $3.46.

Mark Jenkins, from the AAA said the average pump price dropped by about a dime over the past week and is expected to continue to decline.

"Prices at the pump are likely to drop through the holiday weekend. Gas prices could ultimately fall 20 to 30 cents per gallon," Jenkins said Monday. "The downturn is being driven by strong refinery output, which led to a big gain in gasoline supplies."

Florida’s average gas price hit an all-time high of $4.89 on June 13 but steadily declined throughout the summer, helped by the state tax "holiday" that suspended gas-tax.

According to GasBuddy data, Friday U.S. gasoline demand jumped 12.7 percent from the previous Friday, as Americans get ready for Thanksgiving, and was up 7.3 percent from the average of the last four Fridays,"

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said "Week-to-date (Sun-Fri), U.S. gasoline demand is up 4.8 percent from the prior week."

GasBuddy predicts the national average to stand at $3.68 a gallon on Thanksgiving Day.

As we begin Thanksgiving week, the AAA are forecasting that nearly three million Floridians are set to travel for Thanksgiving this year.

Millions of Floridians are expected to hit the roads and drive to their Thanksgiving destination, with many more heading to the airport this week too, with the AAA warning travellers to plan ahead of time, and expect delays.

More than 2.9 million Floridians are expected to travel, that’s 50,000 more Florida travelers than last year’s holiday and nearly 22,000 more than 2019.

Nationally AAA expects 54.6 million Americans to travel this Thanksgiving, which is slightly below pre-pandemic levels, but the Florida Thanksgiving travel season is expected to be the busiest since 2005.

“Travel is still roaring back from the pandemic,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group.

“While gas prices and other inflationary pressures weigh on budgets, travel remains a top priority for Americans, particularly during the holidays. Travel spending is at the highest level since the pandemic began, which is a driving force behind our projections this year. AAA expects busy roads and long lines at the airport, so leave early and be flexible with your travel plans.”

If you are hitting the road for the holidays, leave early.

Travelers should expect much heavier than normal congestion Monday-Wednesday afternoon and early evening.

Traffic will be lighter during the morning and late evening hours and on Thanksgiving Day.