U.S. holiday travel expected to fall 2.1 pct - AAA

NEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The number of Americans expected to travel during the Christmas holiday will fall 2.1 percent from last year's levels, travel and auto group AAA said in a press release Wednesday.

"Without question, the economic downturn of 2008 eroded the discretionary income many Americans would have spent on travel and, for some, altered their travel plans throughout the year," said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet.

This is the first time since 2002 that AAA has predicted that Christmas holiday travel would drop. (Reporting by Rebekah Kebede; Editing by John Picinich)