TULSA, Okla. — While the holiday travel season is expected to break records this year, traffic at Tulsa International Airport appeared to be off to a slow start at the beginning of a week shared by Christmas and Hannukah.
Monday morning, there were no delays or cancellations to report flying out of TIA. As for passenger levels, whatever lines for security there were would quickly clear out.
Nationally, the number of total travelers this holiday season is expected to finally eclipse pre-pandemic levels -- but just barely.
AAA forecasted 119.33 million people traveling for the holidays this December, only 30,000 more than 2019. For comparison, a mere 116.07 million people traveled for the holidays last December.
On the other hand, the number of drivers is predicted to fall short of pre-pandemic levels by one million. 107 million are expected to hit the roads this year, just short of the 108 million who did in 2019. This is despite rising by 104.5 million since last year.
In Oklahoma, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is lower than this time last year. AAA says it’s $2.54 as of Dec. 23, versus $2.69 a year ago.
2 News caught up with some flyers Monday morning at Tulsa International Airport and listened to them about ticket prices.
AAA reported that flights are 4% more expensive this holiday season compared to last year. The average domestic ticket is $830. International flights are 13% more expensive, averaging $1,630 a ticket.
Despite the reported increase, the travelers in Tulsa we spoke with said they largely avoided that by booking early.
Susan, who’s flying to Philadelphia, said she booked her tickets six months out. When asked how she feels about ticket prices in general lately, she replied, “It wasn’t too bad, but we were early. Yeah, it was alright.”
A husband and wife named Bob and Linda only fly once each year, and it’s around Christmas. They’re flying to Tucson, AZ, this year.
When asked how the prices were for them this year, Bob said they “stayed about the same.”
“I think so,” Linda added before joking that “he pays for it, I don’t.”
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