By KEZI 9 News Staff

AAA says that despite the poor economy, more people will be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, though some means of travel will be used less frequently.

The agency projects 38.4 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a 1.4 percent increase over last year when 37.8 million traveled. AAA says driving will be the most popular way to travel, while fewer people will travel by air due to budget concerns, reduced capacity and added charges.

Here are some of AAA's major findings as families prepare to make their trips for the holiday:

*Most people (33.2 million Americans or 86 percent of Thanksgiving travelers) will go by car, an increase of more than two percent over last year.

*Fewer will travel by air this year (2.3 million Americans or six percent of Thanksgiving travelers), a decrease of nearly seven percent.

*Here in the Pacific region, 4.6 million are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, an increase of more than 8 percent which is much higher than the national growth rate.

*Gasoline will cost 60 to 70 cents more a gallon than last Thanksgiving, but those higher pump prices aren't enough to make people cancel travel plans as Thanksgiving is such a family-oriented holiday, and travelers can usually reduce other travel costs by staying with friends and family.

*The economic climate still has much room for improvement, but consumer confidence has increased over the past few months, and the travel industry as a whole is seeing an uptick as people feel more hopeful about an economic recovery.

*Airfare, lodging and rental car costs are all a bit lower this year (but airline fees and extra charges have increased compared to prior years).