The AAA auto club is projecting a 1 percent increase from 2014 in the number of Americans who will travel during the upcoming Labor Day weekend, with a 1.2 percent increase in travel by residents of a Western region that includes Washington and Oregon.
The projected increase comes at a time when gasoline prices nationally for the last week of August are at their lowest level since 2004, according to AAA’s survey on Friday. Pump prices are now 29 cents per gallon below the 2015 peak price, recorded June 15.
The projected Labor Day travel increase is relatively modest, especially considering the recent easing of gasoline prices and the increasing strength of the nation’s economy. AAA said the fact that Labor Day this year lands on Sept. 7, the last possible day for the holiday that is designated for the first Monday of the month, is a factor in the small increase. “When the holiday falls earlier in September, more travel tends to take place,” AAA said in a news release.
Nationally, AAA expects 35.5 million people, or 11 percent of the U.S. population, to travel at least 50 miles from home for the holiday weekend. That would be the highest holiday travel volume since 2008. In the West, AAA projects that 5.5 million people, or 10.4 percent of the population of a region that also includes California, Alaska, and Hawaii, would be traveling 50 miles or more.
Some 86 percent of travelers nationally, and 80 percent in the Pacific region, will drive to their destinations, AAA projects. That amounts to 30.4 million Americans traveling by car, a 1.1 percent increase over 2014.
Relatively low gasoline prices certainly make travel easier on the pocketbook this year. The fast-falling national average for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.51 per gallon on Friday, a 12-cent drop in just one week. The national average on Labor Day weekend in 2009 was $2.58 per gallon.
Washington’s Friday average of $2.98 was down 7 cents for the week. By comparison, Washington’s gasoline prices on Labor Day weekend were $3.88 in 2008, dropping to $2.92 in 2009 and climbing above $3 for each year since then. The peak Labor Day price in Washington was $4.05 in 2012.
Vancouver’s $2.93 average on Friday was down 9 cents for the week. Prices are a bit lighter on the Oregon side of the river, with an average of $2.88 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA.
One cautionary note to travelers this year is that they should be aware of possible disruptions to travel plans due to wildfires burning across Washington and Oregon. The fires are causing road closures and reduced air quality.
“AAA advises travelers to monitor the situation and be prepared to alter travel plans as necessary, and to pay attention to air quality alerts to protect family members and pets,” the organization said in a statement.
