The federal government's flight delay Web site showed no significant holdups at major airports as of midday. AAA expects 7 percent fewer people will by flying this holiday. The travel club said highway traffic would probably be down about 1 percent compared with last year.

Traffic was heavy in downtown Shreveport, but most of the interstates in and around Shreveport-Bossier City looked like a normal late afternoon drive time.

Flights were mostly on time at Shreveport Regional, where travel each month this year has been down 5- to 10 percent from a year ago, airport spokesman Bill Cooksey said.

Many people are staying home as they watch their 401k values plummet and more people lose their jobs.

"People are holding back on travel plans just to hang onto those extra dollars," Cooksey said. "Parking lots are less crowded -- which means less parking revenue, less people renting cars, less people eating in the restaurants, less people shopping in our retail stores and fewer people flying."

Lower gas prices offered some relief for drivers -- and a sampling of people filling up at a gas station in Shreveport showed gasoline under $2 a gallon convinced some people to travel after all.

Audrey Bradshaw and her family normally stay home in west-central Texas for Thanksgiving, but gas prices convinced them to travel this year.

"Thanksgiving holiday; gas is cheap; it's good time to go," she said.

Retailers are worried about people holding on to their money for the holiday shopping season, which begins Friday.

Erica, who did not want to give her last name, was staying home for the Thanksgiving holiday but went shopping at Bossier City's Boardwalk. She was buying -- but plans to spend less this year for Christmas.

"We've been able to minimize our shopping and stay local," she said. "Normally we would go out of town -- maybe to Houston."