CHICAGO — Millions of Americans are traveling during Labor Day weekend, with a record number expected to fly and hit the road as they take advantage of slightly cheaper flights and gas.
The Transportation Security Administration predicted an 8.5% increase in airport screenings compared to the same period last year, with Friday expected to be the busiest day at airports nationwide. TSA screened 2.75 million travelers at the nation’s airports on Thursday, nearly 130,000 more people than it screened on the same day last year.
In Chicago, the city expected nearly 1.7 million travelers to pass through O’Hare and Midway international airports over the holiday weekend. By midday Friday, 15 flights had been canceled at O’Hare. One flight was canceled at Midway. The average delay at both airports was fewer than 15 minutes, but travelers should check with their airlines or FlyChicago.com, the Chicago Department of Aviation’s website, for updated schedule information.
According to AAA, domestic travel bookings for Labor Day weekend are up by 9% and costs are down by 2% from 2023. Average airfares in July were down 7.1% from June and 2.8% from July 2023, according to the government’s consumer price index. The trend appeared to be accelerating as the peak summer-vacation season comes to an end.
TSA confirmed to Nexstar’s NewsNation on Friday that air travel this summer has reached the highest levels in the agency’s history.
On the roadways, AAA predicted heavy road congestion and suggested traveling by car Friday morning or Saturday afternoon to avoid the worst traffic. The Illinois Department of Transportation has made adjustments to road closures to facilitate smoother travel.
“Traffic was good,” said commuter Margaret Chizek. “Some of the construction has finally let up a little bit so it wasn’t crazy.”
Transportation-data provider INRIX says the worst time to travel by car on Friday will be between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. That flips on Saturday, when you’ll want to avoid driving between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
For the return trip, pretty much all day Monday — from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. — will be a slog, according to INRIX.
And watch out for risky drivers. New data from Arity, part of insurance giant Allstate, indicates that speeding over 80 mph is up 83% and “very high speeding” — faster than 100 mph — is up more than 50%.
Potential airport trouble spots
Weather is the leading cause of flight delays. Forecasts called for rain and possible scattered thunderstorms from Texas to New England plus parts of Florida over the weekend, and showering more of the Southeast on Monday.
Officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport continued working to restore all services after what airport officials described as a possible cyberattack last weekend. Flights ran normally all week, but airport crews told passengers to arrive extra early for flights and to avoid checking bags, especially if they are on a smaller airline, because of problems with the bag-sorting system.
What’s fueling the record-breaking travel?
It comes down to the value proposition. In nearly every other area of consumer spending, Americans are paying more and getting less — often referred to as “shrinkflation.”
In contrast, domestic airline prices are down. The travel app Hopper is reporting that domestic airfares are 5% lower this Labor Day weekend and 17% lower than they were during the same holiday weekend in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since Memorial Day weekend, TSA has screened 239.8 million people, averaging 2.7 million per day. To underscore this trend, the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA history have all occurred since May of this year, including a milestone July 7, when more than 3 million people were screened in a single day.
This Labor Day weekend is set to break another record, with 17 million people expected to fly between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4. The TSA anticipates Friday to be the peak travel day, with agents planning to screen 2.86 million people.
The record-breaking travel seen this summer and expected this weekend primarily involves domestic trips. According to AAA, international travel is down about 4%, with costs rising 11% compared to previous years.
What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
First, check your itinerary before leaving for the airport. It’s better to be stuck at home than stranded at the airport.
If your flight is canceled, the airline might automatically rebook you. That might not be the best option.
“Get on the phone (to the airline’s help center), get in front of an agent, reach out to the airline via social media if you have to, but find out what the other options are,” says Julian Kheel, the founder and CEO of Points Path, a browser extension that lets users compare fares with deals available using frequent-flyer points. “You can almost always find another option that may work better than the one offered by the airline.”
Kheel said agents at the airport have more leeway to help, but they might be inundated if there are many canceled flights. DIY rebooking on the airline website or app might be faster, he said.
Phone tip: Some experts say if the airline has international help numbers, call one of those to get through more quickly than on the U.S. line.
Airlines are required to provide refunds — including for extra fees paid — to passengers whose flights are canceled for any reason. However, they are not required to pay cash compensation, and no major U.S. airlines do. Only Alaska, Southwest and JetBlue even promise travel vouchers if the cancellation is their fault.
If you’re stuck overnight, ask the airline about covering the costs of a hotel, meals and ground transportation. All major U.S. airlines except Frontier promise to help with all three for “controllable” disruptions, according to the Transportation Department’s airline-policy dashboard. However, those commitments don’t apply to cancellations caused by weather.
Keep receipts for all out-of-pocket expenses in case you can file a claim later.
Gas prices are falling
Over Labor Day weekend in 2023, the national average for gas was $3.81 per gallon, but in recent weeks, prices have hovered around $3.50.
GasBuddy projects the average price on Labor Day will be even lower at $3.27 per gallon, the lowest this holiday since 2021.
For electric vehicles, the average price for a kilowatt of power at an L2 commercial charging station is about 34 cents. The average is under 25 cents in Kansas and Missouri but tops 40 cents in several states, including New Hampshire, Tennessee and Kentucky. Hawaii is the costliest, at 56 cents.
The Associated Press contributed.