The last long holiday weekend of the 2014 summer travel season is underway and the AAA is projecting this Labor Day will be one of the busiest for the holiday in several years. AAA of Western and Central New York public affairs specialist Steve Pacer says nearly 35 million Americans are expected to journey 50 miles or more from home, the highest number since the Great Recession.
"That's up from 2013. It's up about 1.3 percent. It's the highest since 2008, so I think it really goes to show people are comfortable with their economic status and if they want to travel, they are traveling. So it's a good sign for the economy," Pacer says.
Pacer says most people will be getting away from home via automobile.
"Expect it to be busy," Pacer adds.
Pacer says automobile travel should increase by 1.4 percent at a time when consumers are paying the lowest gas prices in four years.
The current national average for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.43 per gallon, though in the Buffalo area the average pump price is $3.73.