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| MoneyThursday, August 30, 2007 4:17 PM CDT |
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Labor Day travel steady across U.S.
BLOOMINGTON -- Traveling during Labor Day weekend does not appeal to Martha Hunter of Bloomington. "I don't like getting in any of that traffic," Hunter said. "Just stay home." AAA-Chicago Motor Club estimates that 34.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home, which is almost the exact same number of people who traveled last Labor Day. But, despite those AAA expectations, Twin City travel ports already have booked more traffic than in 2006. "We've had a very strong summer, and we expect it to continue," said Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak. The train's ridership has seen double-digit increases this summer, largely as a result of more trains on the rail, Magliari said. The corridor between Chicago and St. Louis has experienced a 41 percent growth from Oct. 1, 2006, to July 31, he said. Five trains will head north and south this Labor Day, compared to three trains a year ago. Even with additional trains, some routes from Bloomington-Normal have sold out for this weekend, Magliari said. A sold-out train would carry about 220 passengers. Fares from Bloomington to Chicago range from $12 to $34 one-way. The charge to travel from Bloomington to St. Louis ranges from $15 to $43. Extra flights to Las Vegas and good fares also have encouraged about 15 percent more people to travel through the Central Illinois Regional Airport for this year's holiday, said Fran Strebing, marketing director. Flights for Labor Day travel are about 80 percent to 85 percent full, compared to a typical weekend's 70 percent to 75 percent occupancy, Strebing said. "All five airlines look like they're going to have a good weekend," Strebing said. Even though airlines nationwide report more delays than ever these days, Strebing does not expect any schedule problems locally. Passengers at least can take some control to help make travel as stress-free as possible. "Preparation is the key," Strebing said. "And that is knowing what you can pack ... and getting here 90 minutes prior (to departure)." Nationally, a variety of economic worries including a perception of higher travel costs will keep people from venturing from home, said Nicole Niemi, a spokeswoman for AAA-Chicago Motor Club. But Niemi points out that across the country, fuel, lodging and airfare costs are similar to last year's prices. For example, the average price of regular unleaded gas in Illinois on Wednesday was $2.98 a gallon, a penny less than a year ago. But the price of unleaded gas in the Twin Cities actually jumped about 20 cents to around $2.86 a gallon this week. "(It's) ridiculous," Megan Ray, a senior at Illinois State University, said of the current gas prices after she pumped $40 into her Isuzu Rodeo. "I hate it." Niemi's only explanation for the increase is more demand because of the holiday travel. She cannot predict whether prices will continue upward this weekend but expects the cost will dip after Labor Day. The cost of gas -- which will only get more expensive as Ray travels farther north to her home in Schaumburg -- isn't enough to keep Ray at school though. "I can see my family," Ray said. "It's worth it." E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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