America Attacked
Travel Changes in the Offing

There is no shortage of gasoline!

Shout it from the rooftops: there's no shortage of gasoline right now in North America!

You'd never know that if you looked at many gasoline retailers on the evening of September 11.

Lines that night stretched around the block and into the roadway in many places. People said plainly that they didn't know if there would be gas the next day, or how much it would cost.

Some unscrupulous operators boosted their prices into the $4-$7 USD/gallon range. The next day, angry consumers demanded an explanation. The high-priced dealers claimed it resulted from misunderstanding rather than greed.

Before you become too angered by all of this, consider that gas prices have held fairly steady around the nation since the attack.

GasPriceWatch.com tracks prices with a network of volunteer spotters. It found prices increased less than ten cents per gallon in most metropolitan areas.

Clearly, this increase is to be expected, given the run on supplies. Some stations sold in one night what might have taken three days to dispense under normal circumstances.

State attorneys general are lining up with eager politicians to find the gougers and prosecute if possible. Each state's statutes are a bit different, but if you find a local gouger in the weeks to come--it would be best to report the operator.

You can find your attorney general on the Internet at the excellent National Association of Attorneys General site.

Expect Delays and Changing Prices

At this writing, it is difficult to predict with any precision just what will happen to ticket prices and other travel-related expenses.

But it seems fair to expect lengthy delays at times, and cost-cutting measures to continue at the airlines.

There is also the strong possibility of war, and the restrictions on travel associated with it.

Construct your travel plans carefully in the weeks ahead...and check back with About's Budget Travel to see the trends that are developing.