Prices Drop at the Pump For Holiday Travelers

Holiday travelers getting ready to go out of town will find better prices at the pump this weekend, according to the Auto Club.

The average price of gas dropped for the seventh straight week, as much as six cents in some parts of Southern California, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch.

“With 7.1 million Southern Californians traveling this holiday and 6.3 million of them going by car, the good news is that the price averages near $3.50 will make this the least expensive 2011 holiday for gas prices,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring in a news release. “Local Thanksgiving travelers were paying about $3.75 a gallon, Labor Day fill-ups cost about $3.85 a gallon, Fourth of July travelers paid around $3.80 a gallon and Memorial Day per-gallon gas price averages were about $4.05. During the 2010 Christmas-New Year’s holiday period, gas prices were about $3.25 per gallon.”

The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area was $3.542 as of noon Thursday. Orange County stations average price was $3.512 and the Inland Empire was at $3.499.

The Auto Club projected a slight rise in holiday travel this year, with 1.4 percent more people heading out for Christmas or New Year's Day. According to the club, the most popular holiday destinations for Southern Californians will be Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, the Grand Canyon and Disneyland.

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