Sky is off limits for US holiday

Nervous Americans will abandon the skies and take to the roads today as they travel to join relatives and friends for the start of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Airline travel could be down by as much as a quarter on what is traditionally the busiest day for travel in the year. The American Automobile Association estimates that a record 87 per cent of people travelling for celebrations will use their cars.

It believes that another two million have abandoned their travel plans altogether this year.

While the lowest petrol prices for two years - less than 60p a gallon in some areas - have lured some drivers, concerns about airline safety after the 11 September attacks and last week's crash of an American Airlines Airbus at JFK airport are uppermost in most people's thoughts.

Advance ticket sales for Greyhound buses are up by a fifth. The national rail service, Amtrak, reports at least 10 per cent more ticket inquiries.

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