AAA today projected the number of Americans traveling on vacation this Labor Day weekend will be heavily impacted by when Labor Day falls on the calendar.
Approximately 39.1 million travelers are expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home, a decrease of 13.3 percent from 2008 when Labor Day travel was the highest this decade. Labor Day fell on Sept. 1 last year allowing for a long weekend trip before a new school year started in many regions of the country. This year, however, Labor Day is Sept. 7, when the school year has already started for many children.
Last year, 45.1 million Americans traveled during the Labor Day holiday weekend period; the most this decade.
This will also be the third-strongest weekend for Labor Day travel this decade. The second-busiest year was 2003 when 41.6 million Americans took a Labor Day weekend trip.
"AAA expects this Labor Day holiday weekend to be the third-busiest of the decade, even though the number of travelers will be down from one year ago," said Brad Roeber, AAA Chicago regional president. "However, with Labor day falling a week later this year when many children will have returned to school, the decline may more to do with the calendar than with the economy. Our forecast shows Labor Day travel will be up over this summer's Fourth of July holiday and that's a positive sign."
Last Labor Day weekend the nationwide average price of self-serve, regular gasoline dropped to $3.68 per gallon after peaking at an all-time record of $4.11 per gallon on July 17, AAA said. This year, AAA expects the nationwide average price of self-serve, regular gasoline to be approximately $1 per gallon less expensive than it was one year ago; or about $2.60 per gallon.
In the East North Central Region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, 7.3 million people are expected to travel for the Labor Day holiday, a 15.4 percent decrease from last year.
Late Labor Day date will reduce traffic on highways
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