Holiday travel to hit all-time record

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – AAA Oklahoma says a record number of travelers are expected to take to the highways and airways over the year-end holidays this year.

The auto club predicts 98.6 million Americans, including 893,000 Oklahomans, will journey 50 miles or more from home. In Oklahoma, 838,000 will travel by motor vehicle, a 3.7 percent increase; 48,150 by air, up 1.8 percent; and 6,850 by other means including bus, train, multi-modal and boat, a boost of 2.2 percent over the 2013 holidays.

AAA says the strong travel numbers mark the highest forecast growth rate for year-end holidays since 2009 and the highest travel volume on record for the holiday period.

Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma, says that with extraordinarily low gasoline prices, AAA believes travel volumes will reach levels never seen before.