Traveling this Labor Day weekend? Expect record crowds and lower prices

CNN
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Labor Day weekend will be busier than ever in many areas, but travelers will have at least one welcome source of relief: lower prices.

Domestic travel over the 2024 Labor Day weekend is forecast to be up 9% compared with last year, according to AAA.

At US airports, the Transportation Security Administration is preparing for its busiest Labor Day travel period on record, with an 8.5% increase in passenger volume over 2023. United Airlines and American Airlines said they are expecting their busiest Labor Day operations ever.

What’s likely on many travelers’ minds: Will the system be able to handle the strain?

“It’s going to be busy. Millions of people are going to fly and even more will be driving. Barring a severe weather event, airlines should be able to handle the record crowds,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer.

Lower airfares could help take the sting out of any logjams that might happen at airports this holiday weekend. And Americans taking road trips will find lower prices at the pump, too.

AAA says overall it’s seeing a 2% dip in the cost of traveling domestically over Labor Day weekend compared with last year.

And compared with 2023, travel company Hopper is seeing a 5% dip in airfare for Labor Day weekend. And airfare is down 17% compared with the holiday weekend in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopper attributes lower prices to high supply from airlines and more favorable fuel prices.

US motorists can also expect to pay less for gas as they set out on holiday weekend road trips. The national average gas price over Labor Day weekend in 2023 was $3.81 per gallon, according to AAA. This year, prices in recent weeks have been hovering around $3.50 a gallon.

While summer road trips are popular, AAA says, changes in daily driving habits have kept overall gas demand down.

People travel through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas for Labor Day weekend 2023.

TSA projects the peak air travel day will be Friday, when TSA expects to screen 2.86 million people. The agency said it’s staffed throughout the holiday period “to meet its wait time standards,” which are 10 minutes or less in TSA PreCheck lanes and 30 minutes or less in standard screening lanes.

TSA expects to screen 17 million people over the holiday travel period from Thursday, August 29 through Wednesday, September 4.

While he expects overall smooth operations, Dengler said it’s best to be prepared for snarls.

“Many people are worried about flying after the CrowdStrike incident, but something of that magnitude is unlikely to happen during Labor Day weekend. Regardless, you should put yourself in the best position possible to deal with a significant delay or cancellation before booking your flight,” he said.

“I recommend booking a direct flight to your destination and not checking a bag. … Additionally, I recommend booking your flight with a credit card with extensive travel insurance for trip delays and cancellations.”

Dengler also has this reminder: “If your flight is significantly delayed or canceled during Labor Day weekend travel, you are legally entitled to a cash refund if you decide not to travel.”

For drivers, one of the best strategies is to avoid leaving crowded cities at crunch times, said INRIX, which offers transportation data and insight. For this Labor Day weekend, the afternoon and early evening hours of Thursday and Friday should be the most congested. Click here for more specific forecasts for major cities including New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.

People walk at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Washington State's largest city is the No. 1 Labor Day destination, according to AAA.

You might have plenty o’ company if you’re headed to the Pacific Northwest and points beyond, AAA said.

Seattle is the top Labor Day weekend destination in 2024, up nearly 30% from last year when it also topped the list, AAA said. That’s because it’s a popular departure point for Alaska cruises, which are sold out for the weekend, AAA said. In Alaska, Anchorage and Juneau are also on the top 10 list of destinations.

Out of that region, Orlando, Florida, and New York City will be major destinations.

Internationally, AAA said the No. 1 destination for Americans will Vancouver, British Columbia, followed by a quartet of European favorites: Rome, London, Paris and Dublin.

AAA’s nautical travel trip: “This is the time of year to go on an Alaska cruise,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “There are fewer crowds compared to earlier in the summer.”

The time to book those cruises for 2025? Now, AAA says.