Millions of people are preparing to travel this Labor Day weekend after a summer plagued by canceled flights and high gas prices.
More than 12 million passengers are scheduled to fly from U.S. airports over the holiday weekend, with Thursday and Friday set to be the busiest days, according to data from FlightAware. Even more people plan to drive to their destinations, prompting experts to warn about possible traffic woes.
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Bookings for Labor Day travel, which encompasses flights, cars, hotels, and more, are already up 22% over 2021, according to AAA.
Here’s what to expect, whether you’re flying or driving to your holiday destination:
Airport travelers should brace for possible delays
Airport travelers were plagued with hundreds of canceled flights and delays due to staffing shortages and poor weather — and experts say travelers can expect those trends to continue heading into Labor Day weekend.
Roughly 2.6 million passengers in the United States are expected to leave from airports each day this weekend, with the peak day expected to occur on Friday, according to flight data from the Hopper booking app. The busiest airports are likely to be Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles, with experts predicting delays.
“We’re just seeing extremely high levels of demand,” Andrew Heritage, an economist at Hopper, told the Washington Post. “But also, demand has come back faster than capacity has — airlines have brought capacity about to 95% of what they were pre-pandemic, but they’re not quite back to pre-pandemic levels.”
The Transportation Security Administration also expects an uptick in passengers over the weekend, warning travelers to arrive at the airports early and expect long lines.
Roads expected to be busy, especially Friday
Experts are also recommending travelers who are opting for road trips to leave early in the morning to avoid traffic and busy roads.
Roughly 52% of people who are driving to their holiday destinations say it’s because of high ticket costs and flight disruptions, according to a survey by Cars.com. However, some people remain wary of traveling because of high gas prices.
Although they remain much higher than Labor Day weekend 2021, gas prices across the country have fallen by more than a dollar since June, the AAA notes. The average now sits at around $3.85 per gallon nationally.
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Gas prices are expected to continue decreasing, although the coming hurricane season could cause a rise in prices once again, experts have warned.
Car rental prices are also decreasing, with them being 21% cheaper for domestic trips compared to prices from earlier this summer, reported the Post.
