Labor Day Weekend Warnings From Paul, Travel At Your Own Risk
Travel at your own risk.
I would have never guessed that today would be the busiest day for travel by plane for the Labor Day weekend. Holiday weekends aren't just weekends anymore they have now been turned into five or six-day vacations.
Too many people.
Today there will be 52,000 flights across the country. Friday will be the second busiest day with 49,111 flights. Travelers caught a break when the hurricane and tropical storm moved out to sea. Atlanta's airport, the busiest in the country, is responsible for the origination point for other flights across the country. If they had shut down, traveling would have been a disaster.
I make it a point to never fly on holiday weekends because of the crowds and chances of not making it so I travel two days earlier or two days later. If you are flying, TSA said they plan on screening between 14 and 15 million people on Thursday and Friday, so allow for that long wait time.
Costs are also up.
AAA says prices for flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. are up 4 percent from last year. If you're traveling by car, the nationwide price for gas this morning is $3.83 per gallon, about the same as last year.
This weekend's estimates.
Airlines said they expect every seat to be filled this weekend. United Airlines alone is expecting 3 million passengers this weekend. There is a 1.9 percent cancellation rate right now, though, so some of you will be stranded for a while. After hearing all that, I'm not going if I can't drive. That weekend rush sounds awful.