AAA- Road travel up for Fourth

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- The number of Americans celebrating their independence with out-of-town trips is rising, according to the AAA, which estimates travel for the Fourth of July weekend will be at its highest level in at least nine years.

The automobile organization said Tuesday that 37.4 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more during the weekend, up nearly 2 percent from 36.8 million last year. That's AAA's highest estimate for the Independence Day weekend since it started using its current projection method, spokesman Justin McNaull said.

The AAA expects most of the increase to come from motor vehicle travel, projected to rise 2 percent from last year to 32.6 million. Another 4.3 million are predicted to travel by air, down 2 percent from last year. About 500,000 travelers expect to go by other modes of transportation, compared to 400,000 in 2002.

"The Fourth of July and summer travel in general seems to be about loading people into the car and driving to the beach or grandma's," McNaull said. The increase in auto traffic is predicted even though gasoline, at about $1.49 a gallon, is about a dime more expensive than last year.

Authorities across the nation were preparing for an increase in traffic. In Florida, the Highway Patrol said it was adding as many as 200 uniformed officers for the long weekend.

In Georgia, the State Patrol is stepping up random drunk driving checkpoints. "We've already seen heavier travel this week before we even get to the weekend," agency spokesman Gordy Wright said.

Despite the AAA's prediction of a drop in air travel, some in the industry said they expect a boost.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport predicts it will see 1.79 million holiday passengers from June 27 to July 7 -- a 2.3 increase over last year. Airport officials expect this summer to be busier than last, but still below levels before the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Terry Trippler, of Minneapolis-based CheapSeats.com, said air fares for pleasure travelers are about $10 to $20 per roundtrip more than last year. But consumers can still get good deals, he added.

"It looks like it could be a pretty good Fourth for the airlines," he said.

Amy Newlan said she and her husband decided to snap up "a pretty good deal" to fly to Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean over the weekend with their four children, all age 12 or under.

"Usually, we're just kind of around town," Newlan, 38, of Flower Mound, Texas, said Wednesday. "We wanted to go somewhere more exotic."

Jim Townsend, a Los Angeles city engineering employee, had more modest plans. His longest expected weekend journey was a 30-mile trip "to go to the beach for a run."

"I'd rather go to Catalina (Island) for the weekend, but there's just too many people out. I usually take my vacations when it isn't vacation for everybody else," said Townsend, 52.

Los Angeles International Airport officials expect their holiday weekend passenger numbers to drop 5 percent from last year to at least 750,000. But that's due partly to airlines offering fewer flights, and airlines expect their planes to be about 95 percent full, said Los Angeles World Airports spokesman Thomas Winfrey.

Air travelers can expect stepped-up security including random car inspections at airports and more extensive security checks inside terminals, Winfrey said.