Record travel numbers expected on Labor Day for New Jersey’s last summer slump

Millions of Americans and New Jerseyans are heading out to enjoy the summer one last time.

According to AAA, overall domestic travel over the holiday weekend will increase 9% year over year. At the same time, the cost of domestic travel is down 2%, including domestic flights down 2%, international flights down 8% and rental cars down 16%. However, according to AAA Travel Bookings, domestic hotels are up 7% year over year.

Between August 29 and September 4, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to screen more than 17 million people. This is expected to be the busiest period ever on Labor Day. The TSA expects peak travel time to be August 30, when it will screen 2.86 million people.

The trends mark the continuation of a strong summer travel season characterized by busy highways and record airport crowds.

Earlier this week, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that 13.8 million passengers used its airports, making it not only the busiest July but also the busiest month ever for the authority, driven by record travel during the Fourth of July holiday travel season.

Take to the streets

“Travel volumes have been high domestically and internationally all summer,” Tracy Noble, spokeswoman for the AAA Club Alliance, told NJBIZ. “Not everyone is traveling on Labor Day because kids are back in school. But many people are trying to squeeze in one last three-day weekend to finish out the summer, while others are taking the week after Labor Day off to kick off the off-season, which can mean lower travel costs and fewer crowds in many destinations in the U.S. and abroad.”

AAA also notes that 85% to 90% of travelers drive to their destinations on holiday weekends. The organization expects road trips to dominate this Labor Day, with trips to the coast, lakes, campgrounds or weekend getaways to nearby cities.

“Americans see the Labor Day long weekend as an opportunity to say goodbye to summer with one last trip,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “With many children already back in school, regional road trips are the most popular option for families. For that reason, others see this as an opportunity to travel the world, expecting fewer crowds in popular locations.”

Speaking of road trips

Earlier this week, GasBuddy released its annual Labor Day travel forecast. The technology company predicts that the average price of gasoline will continue its recent downward trend, falling to an average of $3.27 per gallon nationwide on Labor Day.

That would be the lowest Labor Day price since 2021 – and 50 cents (13%) below last year’s $3.77. According to GasBuddy, this price drop will save Americans around $750 million during the travel period from Friday to Monday.

“It’s been a great summer for drivers, as gasoline prices have generally been lower than last year,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “But as Labor Day approaches, the gap has grown significantly compared to last year, as there have been few refinery outages or heat waves affecting refineries this month. Hurricane season has also been quiet so far. With no threat to the major refineries producing gasoline and diesel, it’s becoming increasingly likely that we can avoid a late summer price spike.”

Here in New Jersey, the average price on Wednesday afternoon was $3.24 per gallon – about 40 cents per gallon less than a year ago.

“While many Americans wish summer could last forever, the good news is that we may have the best chance in years to get the national average price below $3 a gallon,” De Haan said. “With Thanksgiving approaching, tens of thousands of gas stations are likely to eventually drop back below that level thanks to falling seasonal demand and cheaper winter gasoline just around the corner.”

He noted that many gas stations will begin switching to winter gasoline on September 16, which will likely accelerate the decline in gasoline prices.

Always new records

Earlier this week, the Port Authority announced in a press conference that it expects a record 6.7 million travelers to use its airports and crossings during the Labor Day travel season.

“We have forecast a record-breaking summer of travel – and expect to break more records by the end of the summer, when 2.5 million passengers and 4.2 million vehicles will use our crossings between Thursday and Tuesday of next week,” said Jim Heitmann, chief operating officer of the Port Authority, at the Aug. 27 press conference at the PATH World Trade Center station. “This volume represents a 3% increase over last year’s Labor Day weekend – and it will continue to break records.”

Heitmann emphasized that the agency was prepared.

“For anyone driving, we’re stopping all non-urgent construction from 5 a.m. Thursday morning to 5 a.m. Tuesday,” he said. “PATH will be on a modified Saturday morning weekend schedule on Monday, so if you’re staying local, PATH is your best bet. You can use the TAPP system – our new contactless, electronic system at all of our stations.”

Heitmann has put together a series of travel advice and tips for holiday weekends, which you can find here.

“We are expecting record traffic in our facilities – we are prepared,” Heitmann confirmed. “And if you follow the advice I have just given you, we will get through this very successfully.”

And as NJBIZ reported, NJ Transit’s fare waiver lasts until September 2nd.

As a thank you to our loyal customers, Governor Murphy has announced a fare waiver for all customers, lasting through September 2. Fares on all modes of transportation will be waived, allowing free rides throughout the NJ TRANSIT network. pic.twitter.com/5SvJukzqln

— NJTRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) 28 August 2024

Have a good trip out there – and we wish all our readers happy and healthy holidays.