AAA announced a projected decrease in the number of Americans traveling during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Overall, 320,000 fewer Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Labor Day holiday weekend (by automobile, planes and other modes of transportation) compared to last year, a 0.9-percent drop in travelers. This year marks the first decline in Labor Day holiday travel since 2006.
About 28.64 million of the 34.38 million Americans with travel plans – more than 83 percent of all holiday travelers – are expected to travel by automobile, a 1.1 percent decrease from the 28.97 million people who drove over the weekend last year. The greatest number of Labor Day holiday weekend automobile travelers will originate in the West with 7.2 million, followed by the Southeast with 6.6 million; Midwest, 5.5 million; Northeast, 4.8 million; and Great Lakes, 4.5 million.
“More travelers concerned about the economy, gasoline prices and rising airfares are opting to travel by train, bus, motorcycle and cruise ship to their holiday weekend destinations,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “This trend points to a desire on the part of the American public to seek alternatives to flying and driving to enjoy the traditional end of summer vacation.”
The national average for self-serve regular gasoline is $3.69 per gallon. Americans traveling by automobile will encounter gasoline prices about 40 cents less than the Fourth of July travel holiday, but still 91 cents more than this time last year, AAA reported.
