Less Labor Day Travel Expected

HAMDEN — Economic concerns, tight budgets, and lagging consumer confidence are taking their toll on Labor Day vacations this year, says AAA Southern New England-CT.

According to AAA’s Annual Labor Day Holiday survey, 31.5 million Americans — a 2.4 percent decrease compared to last year — will travel 50 miles or more between September 1 and 5. Labor Day traditionally is a slower summer travel holiday weekend for families because many schools convene in late August. But this year, that is not the main reason why fewer families are traveling this holiday: they are just feeling the financial pinch associated with summer’s last fling.

High gas prices, increased air fares, and overall economic uncertainty are also contributing to this year’s decline, according to the AAA survey.

Of the overall 31.5 million travelers:

*27.3 million people or 87 percent plan to hit the nation’s roadways, a very scant increase of .5 percent compared to last year; *Nearly 2.5 million travelers, or 8 percent, will fly, a 1.9 percent decrease from 2010; and

*The remaining 5 percent will take some other mode of travel, down 8 percent from last year.

It is no secret that throughout 2011, gas prices significantly increased and greatly affected travel. However, in recent weeks, the nation has seen a very slow decrease in prices, even though they are still high compared to last year.

For example, on August 25, the national average price of a gallon of regular gas, approximately $3.58, was 88 cents higher than a year ago, but 11 cents lower than a month ago. In Connecticut, gas prices average about $3.91 a gallon, 8 cents higher than a year ago but 14 cents lower than last month.

AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight, a Boston-based economic research and consulting firm that teamed with AAA in 2009 to analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades.