Feature Stories

Labor Day Weekend Travel

It’s another long weekend and for many, the last days of summer 2008. Labor Day often means a record number of passengers at our nation’s airports and roadways, but it appears this weekend many are staying home. Passenger numbers being tallied by airports show fewer travelers this year than the same period in 2007.

At Denver International Airport, where thousands will be heading home after taking part in the Democratic National Convention, the total number of travelers will still be less than last year. Officials in Denver say this week they'll see 40,000 fewer passengers.

At Los Angeles International, it's expected that some 825,000 passengers will depart or arrive from that airport. LAX officials say it is approximately the same number as Labor Day Weekend last year.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) released its annual labor day report showing fewer travelers this weekend. According to AAA, 34 million Americans are expected to travel -- a drop of about one percent from last year -- but many this year are opting instead for buses and trains.

Meanwhile, the Air Transport Association of America (ATA), a group representing the nation’s airlines, says 16 million people will fly on U.S. airlines globally between August 27 and September 3, a drop of 5.7 percent from last year. Domestically, the group says the drop will be 6.5 percent.

The decline is largely the result of rising airfares, economic uncertainty, and fewer available seats on aircraft, says ATA President James C. May.

“We expect airplanes to be less full and skies to be less crowded this Labor Day holiday,” said May. “Economic uncertainty and the heavy hit from sky-high energy prices mean that many vacation and business travelers are choosing to stay closer to home – if they go at all.”

Airlines are still expecting most of their planes to be at least 90 percent full.