More than half the Colorado residents who are planning to travel for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays said they are booking earlier this year, according to a new AAA survey.<\/p>\n
The survey found that the main reason was the high cost of airline flights, gas and other travel expenditures, according to Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA.<\/p>\n
“2023 has been a bonkers year for travel, with record-breaking demand throughout the summer,” he said in a statement. “By all accounts, those trends will persist into the year-end holidays.”<\/p>\n
All told, 60% of Coloradans surveyed said they are planning a holiday trip. Of those, 58% are booking early and 70% are planning to fly. But 36% of the responders said “they are less likely to fly this year because they’re concerned about flight delays and cancellations,” AAA reported.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Thanksgiving travel, more than a third, 37%, will lock in travel plans by the end of this month, AAA said.<\/p>\n
As for Christmas, fewer people, 11%, have finalized their itineraries. But things could get hectic since the holiday is on a Monday, so many will travel on Friday or Saturday.<\/p>\n