Over the river...Travel woes can complicate trip to grandmother's house

Melissa Holyoak had an easy flight last week from Baltimore to Salt Lake City. Security was quick, her plane was half-empty and her bags didn't get lost.

Holyoak's husband, Josh, had a similar experience this week, flying into Salt Lake: short lines and a noneventful flight. The couple is in Utah for the Christmas holiday. They plan to leave next Tuesday.

"It was the easiest travel experience I've ever had," Holyoak said about her flight.

But not all holiday travelers will slip through security lines or arrive at their destinations without delays or lost baggage, AAA says.

There's weather — a winter storm walloped Colorado and portions of surrounding states Wednesday, dropping more than a foot of snow in some places, closing Denver International Airport and stranding thousands of travelers. In Salt Lake City, at least 16 flights were canceled Wednesday by the Denver airport's closure.

And there's the misery of lost baggage — according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's annual Air Travel Consumer Report, 2006 may be the worst year in over a decade for lost or delayed baggage. Plus, new travel restrictions are adding wait time to lines at the airport, AAA said.

"To avoid mishaps and unnecessary stress, make sure you are aware of all the new travel restrictions at airports," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA of Utah.

A new survey by AAA shows that more than 600,000 Utahns are expected to travel 50 miles or more between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. That's a 1.4 percent increase over last year. In total, more than 470,000 Utahns will travel by car; 90,000 will travel by air; and more than 30,000 will travel by bus, train or boat cruises, according to AAA.

Across the nation, about 64.9 million are expected to travel 50 miles or more this holiday. That's a 2.2 percent increase over last year.

Utahns who choose to drive will have to deal with gas prices that are 27 cents higher per gallon than last year's prices. On Wednesday, the average price of unleaded, regular gas in Utah was $2.28 per gallon. Last year, the average price of gas in Utah was $2.01 per gallon.

The national average for gas prices was $2.31 per gallon on Wednesday. Surrounding states had average prices that ranged from $2.11 per gallon in Wyoming to $2.62 per gallon in Nevada.