Labor Day Travel Increases, Airlines Remain Disappointed

Holiday travel for this Labor Day weekend is expected to make a recovery from last year’s decline, AAA reports.

The increase in late-summer vacations, which is expected to be 9.9% greater than 2009’s numbers, could suggest American’s believe economic conditions are improving or that they are simply tired of staying at home.

AAA’s projections also indicate that people are more willing to spend money on travel than they were this past year, with 34.4 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles away from their homes, compared with last year’s 28.5 million.

The growing desire among Americans to travel is seen in hotel, car, and other travel-related reservations. Hospitality, dining, and shopping are all areas where vacationers spend money and, according to AAA, “median spending is expected to be $697 this Labor Day,” almost $50 more than last year’s.

With times still tough, however, many travelers are choosing to remain relatively close to their homes.  Although air travel will increase, it will not be by as much as by car.

Leisure air travel is expected to account for just five percent of overall travel with 1.62 million holiday flyers. This is an increase of 4.6 percent from one year ago when 1.54 million flew. Trips by other modes, including rail, bus and watercraft, will be the dominant means of travel used by four percent of all travelers.

While consumers may demonstrate an increased appetite for travel, expenses associated with faraway destinations will put a damper on airline ticket sales.

Charles B. Stockdale