AAA: Late Labor Day should mean fewer travelers
A late Labor Day this year should mean fewer vacationers, AAA said.
In a press release, AAA said it is projecting that 39.1 million travelers will take a trip of 50 miles or more from home this Labor Day, a 13.3 percent decrease from Labor Day 2008, but slightly more than the number of travelers this past Fourth of July.
Labor Day this year falls on Sept. 7. Last year, Labor Day fell on Sept. 1, which was before the start of the school year for many students.
“At first glance, the numbers show a dramatic reversal from the strong Labor Day of 2008,” Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England senior vice president of public and government affairs, said in a statement. “But the research shows that more than 90 percent of the decline is simply due to the lateness of the holiday this year, occurring after students have already returned to school.”
The release also said: "AAA’s projections for the New England region run slightly ahead of the national averages. A total of 2.2 million New Englanders are expected to travel, 12.6 percent less than last year. Of that number, 1.8 million are expected to go by car, down 10.8 percent from 2008."
In its latest weekly survey, AAA said its Aug. 31 survey of gas prices in Massachusetts found self-serve, regular unleaded averaging $2.649 per gallon, compared with $3.60 found this time a year ago.
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