Weekenders pick roads, not sky

With gas prices going down and airfare going up, the Automobile Club of America, Southern California expects more people will get behind the wheel than watch the in-flight movie this holiday travel weekend.

More than 3 million Southern Californians are planning on traveling this weekend and about 80% of those will be driving to their destination rather than flying, according to an Auto Club survey.

Both numbers show a slight increase from last year. Those who drive away from Newport-Mesa this weekend may choose to forget that gas prices are up about 30 cents from last year at this time and focus instead on the current downward trend at the pump.

“We survey prior to the holiday and the gasoline prices have kept dropping, so we don’t know if that’ll increase the number of travelers out on the road or not,” said Carol Thorp, spokeswoman for the club.

Airline travel, according to the club, is down about 2%, although John Wayne Airport is expecting healthy weekend numbers.

“Travel will still be up this weekend because it’s the holiday,” John Wayne spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said.

Inclement weather on the Pacific coast of Mexico doesn’t seem to be thwarting people’s Mexican travel plans this weekend either, Thorp said.

“As of … [Thursday] this afternoon we have had no cancellations, but people might be waiting to see what happens with the storm,” she said.

Hurricane John was considered a Category 2 storm Thursday afternoon and continues to move northwest toward Cabo San Lucas.

It seems that travelers won’t be heading too far away this weekend. According to the Auto Club, people will be traveling most to San Diego, Las Vegas, California’s central coast, the Grand Canyon and San Francisco — all of which are within 500 miles of Newport-Mesa.

“These are typical destinations,” Thorp said.

A trip to the Grand Canyon — the most distant of those vacation spots — will cost someone who drives a car that gets 20 miles to the gallon roughly $500 — cheaper than buying plane tickets for a family, which could easily cost more than $200 per ticket.

People also are traveling into the area. Local hotel occupancy is strong, said Jessica Roswell, spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau.

With millions of drivers on the road and many opting for takeoff and landing, one thing is sure: People traveling this weekend should get an early start.

“It’s not going to be a whole lot busier than a normal summer weekend, but it will still be busy, and people should still give themselves extra time to park and get through the lines and everything,” Wedge said.

Thorp offered this advice: “Leave early going and coming back as to avoid the majority of traffic. It’s also a good idea to check if there are road closures along your route.”

To check road conditions, call the California Department of Transportation hotline, (800) 427-ROAD.