Good news for holiday travelers: gas prices are starting to go down.
Texas still boasts the lowest average gas price in the country. AAA has the statewide average at $2.89 for regular unleaded. In the Greater Houston area, the average is down to $2.87 (as of Thursday). It's dropped a few cents comparted to last week. Joshua Zuber, with AAA Texas, says that's some help for drivers ahead of Christmas. However, he notes that for many Americans the price at the pump generally doesn't change travel plans so close to the holiday.
“As the holidays get closer, many people will already be committed to their travel plans, and they’ll find other ways to offset prices at the pump,” Zuber said. “They may choose to cut down on dining out, for example.”
The national average is also down compared to last week at $3.29.
“We’ve seen demand for gasoline in the last week dip down a little bit. We’re under 9 million barrels a day across the country,” Zuber explained. “Also, oil prices [are] down because of concern about the omicron variant.”
However, Americans don't seem as concerned about COVID-19 this year as they were in 2020. More than 109 million are expected to travel this holiday season.