Holiday Travel Costs Ground Some Students

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Nov. 26, 2008 -- Last year at this time, 21-year-old Syracuse University student Wei Wong was looking forward to warmer weather and a big meal.

"I used to always go home for Thanksgiving, up until this year. This is the first year I'm not going home," Wong said.

Home is Los Angeles, and with the high cost of airline tickets, Wong said it's too expensive.

"The prices skyrocketed by three times and then you also have to pay for each suitcase," she said.

Wong paid between $200 and $300 to go home freshman year. Last year she paid about $450. This year, as a junior, she said she'd be looking at more than $600 for a ticket.

And she's not the only SU student staying on the East Coast for the holiday. Irene Manahan, 22, is also opting not to fly home to North Hollywood, Calif.

"It's way too expensive to fly home. Thanksgiving break is not that far from the end of finals, so I didn't want to spend even more money to go back home again," she said.

Manahan is a senior. Although she didn't go home for Thanksgiving last year, she said she thought about it this year.

But, "I think it's too much money to go home for such a short amount of time," Manahan said.

A Family Away From Home

Manahan plans on having a small Thanksgiving dinner in Syracuse with her boyfriend.

"Last year we went all out and had a turkey and mashed potatoes and yams and cranberry sauce," she said. "But this year we decided we're not going to do as much."

Knowing that she's going home so soon, and having her boyfriend in Syracuse for the holiday, Manahan says it's easier to stay.

"Since I'm not all by myself, it's OK for me to stay here," she said.

And it's not just students in the Syracuse area who are being affected.

Marina Cassio, a Columbia University student, said, "I'm sticking around campus this Thanksgiving because the cost of flying from New York to California has gone up so much, especially during the holidays, that it's not worth the three days I would get at home. It's rather ridiculous that the state of the economy is keeping me from seeing my family, but I'm lucky enough to get to spend Thanksgiving with some good friends who live in the city."

Michelle Hengy is a senior at Bloomberg University in Pennsylvania. She says the economy is forcing her to stay put. She won't be going home to Palm Bay, Fla., for Thanksgiving.

"As a college student, and with airfare still at extremes I will be spending this holiday without seeing my family. My plans are to go home with a friend and spend the holiday with them and theirfamily," she said.

As for Wong, she won't be alone for the holiday either. Her brother goes to school in Boston, so her parents are flying out to meet them in Toronto. Wong says she will take a bus.

But Wong isn't thrilled about a non-traditional Thanksgiving.

"The weather's going to be absolutely horrible. I always looked forward to going home to California for Thanksgiving because it's so much warmer," she said.

Although Canada doesn't celebrate the holiday, Wong will be creative.

"I already plan on making my own Thanksgiving dinner," she said. "I'm taking over the kitchen."

Planning for Spring

With the cost of airline tickets rising non-stop, Wong is thinking about getting tickets for spring break now.

Manahan is too.

"Flying costs a lot of money, so I always want to make sure I get my tickets as soon and as cheap as possible," she said.

In fact, she bought her ticket for winter break during the summer.

"I bought them right when I found out when my last final was back in August," she said. That round-trip ticket cost her $340.

Wong says she's lucky to be with family for the holiday. But she says if it weren't for the economy she'd be excited to head home.