Gas prices decrease ahead of Thanksgiving holiday travel in North Carolina

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– This is expected to be North Carolina’s busiest year for Thanksgiving travel since 2019, and a lot of people are hitting the road.

89% of all Thanksgiving travelers will drive, and AAA Carolinas estimates that 1.5 million North Carolinians will drive to their destination for Thanksgiving.

North Carolina’s current gas price average is $3.32, falling by seven cents in the last week.

Gas prices are expected to keep dropping through the holiday weekend.

Even if they stay up, the lure of the first post-COVID Thanksgiving is a big motivating factor behind the increased travel.

“We’re still paying about 10 cents more than we were this time last year, but that’s not going to stop people from traveling. Everybody’s so eager to get behind the wheel and visit their family, their friends, and their loved ones. They’re not going to let higher gas prices or inflation stop them from doing stuff,” said Tiffany Wright, AAA Carolinas spokesperson.

The possible price decrease is due to a strong refinery output, which could lead to a big gain in gas supply.

The five-day Thanksgiving holiday travel period begins Wednesday and runs until Sunday.