AAA PREDICTS FEWER SOUTH DAKOTANS WILL TRAVEL OVER LABOR DAY THIS YEAR

NEWS from AAA South Dakota, Aug. 22 – AAA says it expects 91,977 South Dakotans to travel 50 or more miles from home over the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend, a 1.1 percent decline from Labor Day, 2007.

The auto club says 77,948 South Dakotans will travel by motor vehicle and 4,725 will fly.

Across the U.S., AAA projects nearly 34.4 million Americans will travel  over Labor Day, down 0.9 percent from the 34.7 million who traveled last year.

This year marks the first decline in Labor Day holiday travel since 2006 and the third consecutive travel period with projected year-to-year decreases.

“While we’re seeing a drop in travel, it is a small improvement over the Fourth of July when we saw about a two percent decline in travel. This may show that South Dakotans are starting to respond to recent drops in retail gasoline prices,” said Mark Madeja, spokesman for AAA South Dakota. “Today across the state, self-serve regular is averaging $3.722 per gallon, down 31 cents from one month ago thanks in large part to the decline in the price of crude oil on the futures market. However, today’s price is still 78 cents more than at this same time last year.”

The national gas price average is $3.692 today, 35 cents less than one month ago and 91 cents above the average price recorded on Aug. 22, 2007.

Nationwide, approximately 28.64 million Americans (more than 83% of all holiday travelers) are expected to travel by automobile, a 1.1 percent decrease from the 28.97 million people who drove to their Labor Day destinations last year. Almost 3.96 million Americans (11.5 percent of holiday travelers) intend to travel by airplane, down 4.5 percent from the 4.14 million who flew last year.

A projected 1.8 million Americans (five percent of holiday travelers) plan to travel by train, bus or other mode of transportation. That represents an increase of 12.5 percent (or 200,000 travelers) over the 1.6 million who traveled by a mode other than automobile or airplane last year.

AAA’s Leisure Travel Index (LTI) reveals that Labor Day holiday travelers can expect increases in other travel costs when compared to last year. Those traveling by airplane will find fares up by an average of 15 percent over the holiday weekend.

AAA advises travelers that many airlines now charge fees for checked bags and other services that were previously complimentary. Check with your airline or travel agent about additional charges. Hotel rates at AAA Three Diamond-rated hotels and motels are unchanged from last year’s Labor Day holiday travel period.

AAA’s LTI shows an average increase in car rental prices of two percent.  However, car rental rates vary greatly from location to location. Some cities in AAA’s index show significant increases compared to a year ago while others are showing significant decreases. AAA’s index for car rentals is based on the average lowest daily rate for an intermediate-size car at 20 U.S. airport locations. The rates do not include sales tax, insurance or other miscellaneous charges.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Report Web site (www.aaafuelgaugereport.com) lists average daily prices for the nation, all 50 states and more than 250 localities for all grades of gasoline. Hotel and rental car rates and reservations are available online at www.AAA.com.

Research for Labor Day weekend holiday travel projections are derived from the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) Holiday Travel Forecast Model. The model was developed based on consumer travel intentions and TIA’s quarterly travel forecast data.

Travel intentions data are collected through an online survey of more than 2,000 adults nationwide. Historical travel volume and other economic data such as GDP, disposable income, employment and travel costs are also incorporated into the model. Analysis of the data and the forecasts are produced by TIA, which conducts special research for AAA.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members (89,000 in South Dakota) with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services.  Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.  AAA South Dakota can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.