Thanksgiving holiday travelers are paying a lot more for gasoline this year than they did a year ago, according to AAA Arizona.
Statewide, the average price of a gallon of regular self-serve gas stands at $2.61, up about a penny from a week ago and up 59 cents, or 29 percent, from the $2.02 average on Turkey Day in 2008.
However, the statewide average is down from $3.02 during Thanksgiving week in 2007 - an indicator of how volatile the price of gasoline has been in recent years.
In the East Valley, the average stands at $2.59 a gallon, virtually unchanged from a week ago and up 64 cents from a year ago.
The higher average this year means that Arizona motorists who fill their tanks before leaving town will pay about $10 more than they did a year ago, said Linda Gorman, public affairs director for AAA Arizona.
