Labor Day travel seen flat on cost concerns: survey
reuters.com
NEW YORK - Americans are expected to travel roughly the same amount over the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend as they did last year amid rising concerns about affordability, according to a AAA survey released Wednesday.
"Many Americans are facing household budget constraints this summer, which may be affecting holiday travel," Robert Darbelnet, president of AAA, said in a press release.
Some 34.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the three-day holiday weekend, up 0.2 percent from a year ago, according to the survey of 1,950 adults.
"The 0.2 percent increase is lower than the overall increase in the U.S. population," AAA said.
Labor Day travel peaked in 2005, when 34.8 million traveled over the weekend , according to data provided by AAA.
"According to the Travel Industry Association, travelers' perception of higher costs for fuel, lodging and airfares have resulted in the small growth in Labor Day travelers from 2006," the report said.
Travelers driving during the holiday will find average U.S. gasoline prices around $2.79 a gallon, down about 28 cents from last month and 23 cents below last year's levels, AAA said.
Some 28.9 million holiday travelers will take to the roads, just under the 29 million who drove a year ago, 4.1 million will fly, up 2.5 percent, and 1.6 million will go by train or bus or another mode of transportation, the same as a year ago, according to the survey.
