With Thanksgiving break quickly approaching, the current economic conditions and Penn State football are affecting some Penn State students' travel plans.
For those flying home, airlines are offering fewer Thanksgiving week flights, according to The Associated Press.
For students taking the road, bus stations are not offering special discounts on tickets, but according to The Associated Press they are increasing the number of buses because of the economy and the price of gas.
In addition, students are being forced to decide whether to head home early for break or to stay and watch the last home game of the regular season, the Michigan State game.
To accommodate Penn State football fans and an increase in bus travelers, more buses are scheduled for Thanksgiving break this year than in previous years, Kathy Folks, station manager at the Greyhound station, 152 North Atherton St., said.
Neither the downtown station nor Fullington Trailways, which runs buses at the station, will offer Thanksgiving student ticket deals, Folks and Lory Fullington, vice president of the charters and tours department for Fullington Trailways, said.
"We're planning on the number of buses increasing over Thanksgiving [break] ... because of the economy and the game," Fullington said. "Probably about 10 more buses than last Thanksgiving."
Fullington Trailways has seen a 25 percent increase in business this year despite a rise in ticket prices because of higher fuel cost, Fullington said.
"Students are using our buses more because of high gas prices," she said. "The economy is still hitting the kids and travelers."
Because of the game, Penn State will keep dorms open an extra day until 12:30 p.m. Nov. 23, said Kathy Krinks, assistant director of assignment operations at Penn State.
The previous date scheduled for the dorms to close for the break was 12:30 p.m. Nov. 22, the same day as the game.
"We just hope that those students who want to take advantage of it will," Krinks said.
"But it's important to get out when the halls close because our staff has to get out afterwards," Krinks added.
Linde Allison's parents booked her plane tickets to Detroit for Thanksgiving break, and noticed higher fares and fewer flights.
"My mom said the air fare has definitely increased," Allison (freshman-hotel restaurant and institutional management) said.
Allison, a Penn State football fan, will sell her ticket for the Nov. 22, Michigan State game to fly home, she said.
"I definitely want to be there for the game," she said. "But because the ticket prices were cheaper for Thursday, I'll forgo the game."
Steve Brouwers (junior-accounting) said he will definitely leave after the Michigan State game.
"Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, Deon Butler, the other seniors that have played here for the last four years," he said. "I mean they're special, and I've enjoyed watching them over the years. All the hype is pretty much gone, but it's still a Penn State football game, and it'll be fun anyway."
Brouwers said he'll most likely head home by bus or with a friend driving him.
While bus stations add more buses, airlines have cut flights over the holiday weekend compared to Thanksgiving last year, the AP reported.
Allison will fly out of State College to Detroit and then finally home to Kansas City.
