Aug 26, 2008 10:00 am US/Eastern
AAA Predicting Minimal Decline In Labor Day Travel
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting a nominal decrease in the number of Marylanders traveling this Labor Day holiday compared to last year.
CBS
AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting a nominal decrease in the number of Marylanders traveling this Labor Day holiday compared to last year.
More than 648,000 Marylanders are expected to travel 50 miles or more this holiday, a 0.6 percent decline from 2007.
"The projected decline in the percentage of Marylanders traveling this last summer holiday is less than the decline of this year's other two summer holidays, Memorial Day and Fourth of July. This small improvement in Labor Day travel could be attributed to lower gas prices," said Christine Delise, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "As we head into the holiday weekend, Marylanders are paying around $3.56 a gallon on average for regular self-serve gas, which is a significant decrease compared to July 4th when we were paying over $4 a gallon on average. Even for the Memorial Day holiday, the average price was $3.92 a gallon, which was a record high in Maryland at the time."
Maryland gas is still around 88 cents higher than this time last year when we were paying under $2.70 a gallon.
Approximately, 539,600 Marylanders intend to travel by car, reflecting a 0.8 percent decline from last year.
"The 0.8 percent decline in auto travel for the Labor Day holiday is also a small improvement in auto travel compared to the July 4th holiday when 1.3 percent fewer travelers were expected to drive to their holiday destination," Delise said.
Air travel is predicted to decline by 3.7 percent compared to 2007. Nearly 75,600 Marylanders are estimated to take to the skies this upcoming weekend.
"As we saw with the Memorial Day and July 4th holidays, it seems Marylanders are continuing to avoid the airport for the summer holiday travel periods, with Labor Day air travel showing the largest decline of the three holidays. It seems Labor Day holiday travelers have reached a breaking point in terms of higher airfares, as well as additional charges, such as baggage fees, imposed by some of the carriers," added Delise.
Interestingly, more than 32,800 Marylanders are projected to travel by another mode of transportation, such as by bus or train, which reflects a 9.0 percent increase versus last Labor Day holiday.
"This year it seems vacationers are foregoing air travel or leaving the car at home and instead utilizing alternative modes of transportation, such as buses and trains, to get to their Labor Day holiday destination," commented Delise. "AAA Mid-Atlantic believes this is an indication that travelers have reached their limit with higher airfares, extra fees, and service issues, as well as the higher costs to fuel their cars, and perhaps are looking for less expensive and more hassle-free alternatives."
Half of Maryland travelers, 50 percent, are expected to travel to destinations that are within roughly 250 miles from home over the upcoming holiday, while 27 percent plan to travel no more than 125 miles from home. Approximately 37 percent of Marylanders will be traveling 500 miles or more to their destination.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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