More people traveling for Labor Day this year

SALT LAKE CITY — Despite signs that the economy is mired in a prolonged recession, there is another indication that things may be improving--travel.

A new survey from AAA Utah predicts an increase of almost 11 percent in the number of people expected to travel this Labor Day weekend, compared to last year. The travel forecast says that more than 2.6 million Mountain West residents will travel 50 miles or more from their home over the next three days.

"We're seeing an increase in travel, which is a nice change," said AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough Thursday. "We've seen an increase since the fourth quarter of last year. While the job numbers are disappointing, there are indicators, including travel, that people are feeling more confident" about the economy.

She said that many people have been decreasing their personal debt, which "makes it easier to take off."

The vast majority — an estimated 2.4 million — will travel by car, with only about 150,000 Mountain West residents planning to travel by air. But that's a 5.4 percent increase compared to last year. Another 50,000 are likely to travel by other modes, including trains, buses and boats.

"While we're getting a lot of people who are traveling," Fairclough said, "the indication is they're still watching their money. They will be very prudent with what they spend. So people are staying with friends, camping, visiting relatives and not going quite so far."

Nationally, AAA said it expects 34.4 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Labor Day weekend. While that's an almost 10 percent increase over last year, it's still far below the 45 million who traveled over Labor Day in 2008.

Thursday, a gallon of regular gas in Utah averaged $2.924, about the same as it has been all week, but up quite a bit from one year ago, when it averaged 2.697, according to AAA Fuel Gauge's daily report. AAA said gas prices are expected to remain "relatively stable" for holiday travel. Airfares have gone up about 9 percent over the last year, while car rentals have increased 7 percent and hotel rates between 2 and 6 percent. The average plane ticket costs was $179 per ticket, while hotels in the AAA three-diamond range will average $139 a night over the Labor Day weekend.

AAA is also offering its Tipsy Tow program, offering a free tow home for drinking drivers and their cars from 6 p.m. Sept. 6 to 6 a.m. Sept. 7.

There will be NO bus, TRAX or Frontrunner service on Monday in observance of Labor Day, according to the Utah Transit Authority. Regular service and schedules will resume Tuesday, Sept. 7.

e-mail: lois@desnews.com