Consumer Confidential: Travel to surge this Thanksgiving; consumers crave revenge

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Here’s your top-of-the-world-ma Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family may be a treat, but getting there this year may not be. U.S. travel during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend will rise 11% from last year on improved economic conditions, according to AAA. About 42.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles this year, up from 37.9 million last year. Automobile transportation will account for 39.7 million of holiday travelers, a 12% increase from last year. The number of air passengers will rise 3.5% to 1.62 million. Should be fun.

--Why do we get so cheesed when a company treats us badly? New research shows that consumers feel like jilted lovers when a corporate relationship goes sour -- and typically want to get even. The Canadian study, featured in the Journal of Consumer Research, finds that consumers often crave revenge when some business gives them the runaround. ‘Customers who were once enthusiastic about a brand may represent a headache for the associated firm beyond the lost revenue of foregone sales because they sometimes become committed to harming the firm,’ the study concludes. Message to business leaders: Be nice.

-- David Lazarus