AAA predicts 35 million travelers for Labor Day

The AAA auto club is predicting that 35 million U.S. residents will travel at least 50 miles away from home over the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend. 

The figure is a 1.3 percent increase over Labor Day travel in 2013, and the highest number of travelers since 2008, the association said. 

“As the economy makes modest gains, more Americans are joining the labor force this year,” AAA Chief Operating Officer Marshall Doney said in a statement. 

{mosads}“With Labor Day symbolizing the American workers’ contributions to the strength and prosperity of our country, it’s only fitting that millions are choosing to celebrate this positive direction with an all-American road trip,” he continued. 

The auto club predicted that 29.7 million of the anticipated Labor Day travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations, up 1.4 percent from last year. 

The group estimates that another 2.65 million travelers will take trips by airplane for their Labor Day respite, which would be a 1 percent increase from 2013.

Airfares are predicted to be 2 percent higher than last year, and hotel prices are estimated to have risen between 6 and 9 percent.