AAA: Labor Day Travel Holds Steady
Amid concerns about affordability, AAA predicts that 34.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, almost the exact same number that traveled on this holiday last year.
Despite falling fuel prices, now around $2.79 per gallon, Americans are still concerned about the affordability of travel and so AAA expects travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend to be flat as the number of travelers holds steady from last year.
AAA estimates that 34.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, almost the exact same number that traveled last Labor Day. Labor Day travel has been sluggish since 2005, when 34.8 million traveled over the holiday weekend. According to the Travel Industry Association (TIA), travelers’ perception of higher costs for fuel, lodging and airfares have resulted in the small growth in Labor Day travelers from 2006.
Approximately 28.9 million travelers (83.5 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go by motor vehicle, just under the 29 million who drove a year ago.
AAA’s Fuel Cost Calculator helps travelers determine how much their drive trip will cost by factoring in the make and model of their car, and the distance to the final destination.
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