Published: August 29, 2008 10:39 pm            

Labor Day travelers 'bite the bullet'

Gene Sikirica knows the cost of travel.

The Johnstown native has been making the trip back home each year from Houston, where he has been employed for 30 years with Exxon-Mobil.

With the high cost of gasoline and jet fuel, Sikirica has learned to prioritize.

“If you want to go anywhere, you have to bite the bullet,” he said while having lunch at The Galleria with his daughter, Kelly Heinrich, and her two children.

A plane ticket from Houston to Johnstown was

25 percent to 30 percent more this year, he said.

“It hasn’t stopped me from visiting family, but other things. I haven’t done that much traveling this year,” he said. “I have to prioritize my trips.”

He is not alone.

With the traditional Labor Day close of the summer driving season, Americans are being more selective when traveling. AAA forecast a slight decrease in the number of Americans traveling this holiday weekend.

Nearly 34.38 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday weekend, down 0.9 percent.

This year marks the first decline in Labor Day holiday travel since 2006.

Almost 3.96 million Americans intend to travel by airplane, down 4.5 percent from last year.

“More travelers concerned about the economy, gasoline prices and rising airfares are opting to travel by train, bus, motorcycle and cruise ships to their holiday weekend destinations,” said AAA Chief Executive Officer Robert L. Darbelnet.

“This trend points to a desire on the part of the American public to seek alternatives to flying and driving to enjoy the traditional end of summer vacation,” Darbelnet said in a news release.

More than 83 percent of all holiday travelers are expected to drive to their destinations, a 1.1 percent decrease from last year.

The national average for self-serve regular gasoline is $3.69 per gallon. Americans traveling by automobile will see gas prices about 40 cents less than they were on the Fourth of July.

But gas prices are up 91 cents from this time last year.

For Eyvonne Shaffer of Somerset, a Penn State season-ticket holder, high gas prices won’t affect her traveling to State College. But when driving locally, she is more circumspect.

“I coordinate my trips when I come into town,” she said. “I don’t go to the mall as often.”

For others, travel takes a back seat to domestic needs.

Tina Knott of Somerset said that when the family well ran dry, digging a new one became a priority.

An estimated $9,000 for a new well crimped other plans.

“It kills your plans for everything,” she said.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.