What does gas cost? How bad are airports? When should I leave? Your Labor Day travel forecast is here

Labor Day weekend brings barbecues, parades, sprinkler leaping — and the potential for angst on roads and in airports with crowded conditions.

Here are five things to know about getaways on the last long weekend of the summer.

• Travel within the U.S. will spike by 9% this Labor Day compared to 2023, AAA reports.

“Since many kids are already back in school, regional road trips tend to be the most popular option for families. Because of that, others see this as an opportunity to travel the world, with the expectation of smaller crowds at popular sites,” AAA’s Vice President of Travel Debbie Haas said.

Passengers wait in line at O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 3. Allow plenty of time to catch your flight this Labor Day, experts advise.
Daily Herald File Photo

• Give yourself plenty of time for road trips, traffic expert INRIX advises. That means leaving early in the morning on Thursday or Friday since those escaping in the afternoon or early evening will run smack into rush hour.

Coming home, early birds will avoid the inevitable congestion expected to culminate on Sunday and Monday afternoons.

Specific to the Chicago region, the Illinois tollway predicts the heaviest congestion will fall on Friday with 1.9 million vehicles jumping onto the 294-mile system.

That compares to 1.6 million cars and trucks on an average day.

Travelers head into Terminal 1 at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Travel experts expect travel to increase 9% this Labor Day weekend compared to 2023.
AP

• The U.S. Transportation Security Administration anticipates a blockbuster holiday with more than 17 million people rushing through airports. The busiest day? Thursday — so, as always, allow two hours to get through check-in and security lines.

You can check TSA wait times at O’Hare and Midway international airports on the Chicago Department of Aviation’s flychicago.com website.

• Gas prices continue to ping-pong, experts noted. As of Wednesday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $3.36 a gallon. Sadly, it’s $3.90 a gallon in the metro region on average, but that’s a bargain compared to $4.35 a year ago.

Driving to Wisconsin? The average is $3.23 a gallon. Michigan? Expect prices around $3.42, AAA reports.

So what does September hold for gas costs?

“Things can be pretty unpredictable, as we enter the peak of hurricane season,” AAA’s Molly Hart said. “We could see a short-term spike in gas prices just on the mere threat of a major storm impacting refineries along the Gulf Coast. If a storm does make landfall, and there is damage leading to extended refinery outages, then higher gas prices could linger for a bit.

“For now, though, fingers crossed we have a quiet September, and all major storms stay out at sea,” Hart added.

And whatever you do, don’t speed and watch out for construction. The National Safety Council estimates 457 people could die in preventable vehicle crashes between Friday and Monday.

• Fun fact: the No. 1 destination this Labor Day is — Seattle. Trailing the Emerald City, but still popular, are Orlando, New York, Boston, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago and San Francisco, AAA said.