AAA is projecting that at least 35.2
million people will travel over the Labor Day holiday, a 1.2%
increase from the same time last year.
Gas prices are
averaging at $2.90 per gallon, apparently still not high enough to
discourage the estimated 29.6 million Americans who are expected to
travel over the weekend by motor vehicle, compared with the 29.1
million who traveled by motor vehicle last Labor Day.
"Despite seeing gas
prices at record heights this summer, American have traveled
nonetheless," said AAA president and CEO Robert Darbelnet in a
statement.
Overall, AAA said
about 84% of the people who intend to travel over the last holiday
of the summer, will be driving.
Aside from those
hitting the road for the holiday, meanwhile, 1.6 million
vacationers are expected to travel by bus or train, down slightly
from 1.7 million last Labor Day, according to AAA.
AAA estimates that
11% of travelers (3.9 million) will fly, down from 4 million last
Labor Day. It was unclear whether the new tighter airport security
restrictions contributed to the drop.
To contact the
reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to Michael Milligan
at[email protected].