AAA: MORE THAN 200,000 WEST VIRGINIANS TO TRAVEL FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY

Highest Memorial Day Gas Prices Since 2014 Will Not Keep Travelers Home

Charleston, WV (Monday, May 21, 2018) – AAA expects more than 200,000 (217,903) West Virginians to travel for the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday; that is an increase of 5% over the previous year.  Most travelers (89%) will choose to drive to their destination, regardless of rising gas prices.  Nationally, more than 41.5 million Americans will travel by automobile, planes, trains or other modes of transportation. As millions of travelers begin their journey out of town, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects travel delays on major roads that could be up to three times longer than normal, with the busiest days being Thursday and Friday (May 24-25) as commuters mix with holiday travelers. 

“The highest Memorial Day gas prices since 2014 won’t keep travelers home for the extended weekend,” said Tammy Arnette, Senior Public Affairs Specialist for AAA.  “A strong economy and growing consumer confidence are giving Americans all the motivation they need to kick off what we expect to be a busy summer travel season with a Memorial Day getaway.”

2018 West Virginia Memorial Day travel projections

*U.S. Census Bureau/HIS Global Insight (V2017)

2018 National Memorial Day travel Projections

• Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 36.6 million – will hit the road this Memorial Day, 4.7 percent more than last year.

   

• Planes: 3.1 million people will travel by air, a 6.8 percent increase and the fifth year of consecutive air travel volume increases.

   

• Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 2.4 percent to 1.8 million passengers.

Drivers Beware: Worst Times to Hit the Road
For the 36.6 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25 – in the late afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Several major U.S. metros could experience double the travel times compared to a normal trip, while New Yorkers could see three times the delay.

“Ranked the most congested country in world, U.S. drivers are all too familiar with sitting in traffic,” said Graham Cookson, Chief Economist and Head of Research, INRIX. “Drivers should expect congestion across a greater number of days than in previous years, with the getaway period starting on Wednesday, May 23. Our advice to drivers is to avoid peak commute times in major cities altogether – traveling late morning or early afternoon – or plan alternative routes.”

Higher gas prices not deterring travelers
Gas prices have been steadily rising in recent months and will be the most expensive for the Memorial Day holiday since 2014. Nationally, gas prices averaged $2.72 in April, an increase of 33 cents from last year due to expensive crude oil, record gasoline demand and shrinking global supply.  However, these higher prices are not keeping holiday travelers home, as most will be taking to the road for the extended weekend.   In West Virginia, gas prices were $2.84 per gallon on average last week; rising closer to the $3 per gallon mark.

Lower hotel, airline and car rental costs make up for higher gas prices
While road trippers will pay higher prices at the gas pump this year, travelers can expect some relief in their wallets when paying for airfare, car rentals and most mid-range hotels. According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, airfares are 7 percent lower than last Memorial Day, landing at an average price of $168 for a round-trip flight along the top 40 domestic routes. At $59, the average daily cost of a car rental this Memorial Day is the lowest rate in the past four years and 11 percent cheaper than last year.

Travelers will also save on AAA Three Diamond hotels this Memorial Day, which are trending 14 percent less expensive than last year, with an average rate of $186 nightly. Meanwhile, AAA Two Diamond hotels are 7 percent more expensive than last Memorial Day, with an average nightly cost of $151.

Top Memorial Day travel destinations
Orlando again tops this year’s list of the most-visited Memorial Day destinations in the U.S., based on AAA advance travel bookings. Cruises to Alaska, originating in Seattle and Anchorage, as well as warm-weather destinations in Hawaii, Las Vegas, Phoenix and southern California top travelers’ domestic itineraries this summer.

1. Orlando, Florida
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Anchorage, Alaska
6. Phoenix, Arizona
7. Anaheim, California
8. Boston, Massachusetts
9. Denver, Colorado
10. New York, New York