OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Droves of drivers who had looked forward to end-of-summer road trips to the mountains, beach or elsewhere this Labor Day weekend reportedly scrapped their plans in response to high gasoline prices and lengthening lines at the pump, said the Associated Press.
More than half of Americans nationwide said they were changing their Labor Day travel plans because of the price of gasoline, according to a public opinion poll of 1,200 adults nationwide, conducted by Verona, N.J.-based SurveyUSA and released separately last Friday. Some 52% said [image-nocss] they were changing their Labor Day travel plans; 48% said they were not.
Before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, AAA had predicted no let-up in travel for the Labor Day holiday weekend. The group had estimated that 34.5 million Americans would travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a 0.9% increase from the 34.2 million who traveled last year.
According to AAA's survey, approximately 28.8 million travelers (83% of all holiday travelers) expected to go by motor vehicle, about even with the 28.7 million who drove a year ago. Another 4 million (12% of holiday travelers) planned to travel by airplane, up from the 3.9 million that flew last Labor Day holiday. A projected 1.7 million vacationers (5%) said that they wouldgo by train, bus or other mode of transportation, up from about 1.6 million a year ago.
The forecast 0.9% increase for Labor Day would have been the smallest expected rise since Memorial Day 2003, when holiday travel began to rebound after the 9/11 attacks and Iraq invasion, AAA said. In 2004, Labor Day travel increased by 2.4% over the previous year. In 2003, the rate of increase was 1.8%, AAA said.
But post-Katrina, all bets were off.
The governors of several states, including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, asked residents to curb discretionary driving and instead stay home with friends and family this weekend to conserve gasoline as some gas retailers have temporarily run out.
President Bush on Thursday asked Americans to be prudent in their consumption of energy, but said supply disruptions caused by Katrina were temporary, adding: Don't buy gas if you don't need it.
Panicked buying was blamed for some of the gas stations running dry in states that ranged from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia to Wisconsin.
People are on the edge. They just want to be reassured there's going to be gas wherever they're going,'' said Garrett Townsend, manager of a AAA office in Atlanta, which was being deluged with calls from members inquiring about gasoline availability.
For those opting to fly, airlines were assuring customers that their jets would have enough fuel even though daily jet fuel production has been cut more than 10% because of hurricane damage to Gulf Coast refineries.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.