The lowest Labor Day gas prices in at least five years are expected.
About 35.5 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during this Labor Day holiday weekend, the highest travel volume for the holiday since 2008 and a 1% increase compared to 2014. While the majority of travelers (30.4 million, 86% of all travelers) will celebrate the holiday with a final road trip before summer ends, air travel is also projected to grow 1.5% this holiday, according to AAA Travel.
When the Labor Day weekend falls later in the calendar people travel less. This year Labor Day falls on September 7, the latest possible day it can occur, so the overall travel growth potential is weaker in 2015.
Although, rising wages and falling gas prices have helped boost disposable income, which has risen 3.5% over last year, some consumers are using that money to save and pay debts. Automobile travel will increase by 1% this year, with 30.4 million travelers on the road. About 7.4% of travelers (2.6 million) will travel by air, a 1.5% increase from last year.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
