Economy keeps more Americans home for Thanksgiving

CHICAGO: Scott Fuchs will spend Thanksgiving with his family in Florida like he has done for 20 years or so. But like thousands of other Americans, his brother is staying home - travel is not possible after he was laid off from his job in Maryland.

"Lack of funds," said Fuchs, a 49-year-old computer programmer from Plano, Texas.

A troubled economy is casting a shadow over the country on this Thanksgiving weekend, and thousands are opting to stay home instead of embark on costly voyages to see loved ones. Airport terminals were eerily empty on Wednesday, devoid of the typical chaos on the day before a holiday. It was the same on the roads, where traffic breezed along even though plummeting gas prices made it much cheaper to drive.