More Travelers Planning to Fly for the December Holidays this Year, Nearly the Same Number Planning Flights for Thanksgiving Compared to '08 Travelers Find Holiday Savings by Leaving More Bags at Home

NEWTON, Mass., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's most popular and largest travel community, today announced the results of its holiday air travel survey of more than 1,300 U.S. respondents. Of the 35 percent who are planning to travel for Thanksgiving this year, 37 percent are planning to fly to their destinations, nearly equal to 38 percent one year ago. As for the December holidays, 40 percent of respondents are planning to travel with 57 percent planning to fly, up from 52 percent last year.

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Early Birds Caught Turkey Day Deals

Thanksgiving fliers found that booking early was the key to finding a good deal this year. Eighty-one percent of those traveling for Turkey Day have already booked their flights, with 55 percent saying that they were able to get a good price by booking early. For travelers choosing not to fly for the coming holiday, 31 percent said they'd still book a flight for Thanksgiving instead if they found a good deal.

Jingling All the Way to the Airport

While 57 percent of travelers surveyed are planning to fly to their Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa destinations this year, 47 percent of them said they have yet to book their flights. For travelers not currently planning to fly, 39 percent said they would consider flying if they found a great price.

Bagging Bags for Holiday Savings

When fliers were asked how many bags they took with them before airlines began charging bag fees, 12 percent said they just took carry-ons, 61 percent checked one bag, and 26 percent checked two bags. Baggage fees have changed that behavior this holiday season, as 33 percent of travelers planning to fly during the holidays this year are planning to take only carry-on bags, 55 percent are planning to check one bag and only 12 percent plan to check two bags.

Wi-Fi on the Fly

With an increasing number of airlines now offering in-flight Wi-Fi, 70 percent of respondents said they would use the service if available on their next flight, but only nine percent said they would pay for it. Seventy-two percent of respondents were opposed to fliers using Wi-Fi to make in-flight phone calls.

Economic Effect

Sixty-seven percent said the economy is not affecting their holiday flight plans. Among the 33 percent that are factoring it in, 19 percent are planning to drive and 14 percent are flying on off-peak days. Eleven percent of travelers also said they're planning to fly on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's Day to get a cheaper flight.

Holiday Stress Less?

Fifty-nine percent of travelers said they were rarely or never stressed out by flying during the holidays. In addition, while 57 percent of respondents said they had been delayed at an airport during the holidays in past years, only 28 percent expected delays this year.

Top 10 Destinations Shopped on TripAdvisor Flights in October for November and December Travel Dates

1. Las Vegas, Nevada
2. Los Angeles, California
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. New York, New York
7. Miami, Florida
8. San Francisco, California
9. Phoenix, Arizona
10. Honolulu, Hawaii
    

"Over the past few weeks we've had millions of travelers shopping for their holiday flights on TripAdvisor," said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor. "This survey shows that travelers are still flying for the holidays despite the shaky economy and that many are finding great deals. We also found that travelers are adjusting their behavior as airlines implement new fees, including those for checking first and second bags."

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 36 million monthly visitors* across 15 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor®, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 11 million registered members and 25 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se), The Netherlands (http://nl.tripadvisor.com), and Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brands daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn). TripAdvisor® Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform.

Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).

TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

©2009 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2009

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor

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