Labor Day Air Travel Expected to Drop

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

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Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

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The Air Transport Association (ATA), which represents the U.S. airline industry, is predicting a 3.5 percent year-over-year drop in air travel this Labor Day. But despite airlines carrying an estimated 1 million fewer passengers this year, the ATA says planes will still be full, thanks to a year’s worth of capacity cuts. “Passengers should expect airports to be less crowded, but planes will be at or near capacity during this Labor Day holiday period,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May.

Even so, with a predicted drop in traffic and an ongoing recession, it’s likely that last-minute Labor Day deals will pop up over the next two weeks. Our resident Deal Detective unearthed one such deal from Expedia, and Priceline has a Labor Day deal of its own. So far we haven’t seen any airfare sales specifically for the holiday, but you may find some good prices if you’re willing to dig.

For me, Labor Day has always been about barbecues or short road trips anyway, so I’m not surprised more people seem to be adopting that approach this year. But what about you? Will you be traveling for the holiday or staying close to home? Leave a comment below and share your Labor Day travel plans.

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