Nearly 1.9 million Arizonans to hit the road, take to skies for holiday travel

PHOENIX — Most of us are familiar with Perry Como’s popular holiday song, “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays.”

In case you’re not, one of Como’s oh-so-smooth lines talks about the number of people traveling and ends with the quip, “Gee, the traffic is terrific.”

A lot of Arizonans will be saying similar things over the coming weeks, though likely in slightly more colorful language.

Triple-A of Arizona estimates nearly 1.9 million residents of the Grand Canyon state will either take to the road or hit the skies to spend time elsewhere this holiday season.

“The robust economy and desire to travel are causing impressive numbers of Arizonans to take to the roads and especially the skies this holiday season,” Amy Moreno, a senior travel manager for Triple-A, said in a press release.

A majority of Arizonans will drive to their holiday festivities. Triple-A said nearly 1.2 million will road trip it, but that number is down 13 percent from 2015 — possibly an effect of slightly higher gas prices.

Those who aren’t driving are taking to the skies. More than 567,000 Arizona residents will fly, up 9 percent over last year. The agency said a stronger economy paired with competitive fares likely provided the projected boost in air travel.

KTAR’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this story.

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