GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Whether it's by car, train, or plane, millions of Americans are expected to travel this Labor Day weekend, despite the warning from the CDC advising against travel as COVID cases are on the rise.
Nevertheless, people in West Michigan are gearing up for the holiday weekend as well. Officials at the Gerald Ford International Airport are telling passengers to be patient and plan ahead. Despite the uptick in COVID cases, airport officials say they are projecting roughly 24,000 people will fly out of the airport between Friday and Tuesday.
Airport officials say those numbers are just five to 10 percentage points down from 2019, which was a record-breaking year. Stephen Clark, of Gerald Ford Airport, says if passengers pack their patience and are kind to one another, then everyone will have a smooth traveling experience.
"It's always a good reminder that this has been a long pandemic," said Clark. "Everybody is tired, everybody is going through a lot, and it really does go a long way to bring your patience, bring a little bit of humility to make sure everybody has a great travel experience this weekend."
Clark says there have been incidents across the country of fighting and passengers becoming unruly on flights. He says that hasn't happened at Ford Airport but says that can be prevented if people take a deep breath and be West Michigan kind to one another.
Now while some are taking to the skies this weekend, others will hit the roadways and should expect to feel the pain at the pump. Last Monday, on Aug. 23., the average price of regular unleaded was $3.19 a gallon. Since then, gas prices have been on the rise and averaging closer to $3.25.
Adrienne Woodland of AAA says people can expect to pay more at the pump this weekend.
"This is actually going to be one of the most expensive Labor Days for prices in Michigan since 2014. So we have really not seen gas prices this high since Labor Day of 2014," said Woodland.
Now Woodland says the good news is after the holiday weekend, the demand will drop off significantly. And the refineries will start producing its winter blend of gas which she says is cheaper, so prices could level off or start to fall.
At the same time, Woodland says because we are in the middle of a pandemic and hurricane season is still ongoing, it's a fluid situation when it comes to gas prices.
Road trips can offer more flexibility than some other modes of travel, but it’s still important to plan ahead for travel by car. Understand the impact COVID-19 has on cities and states you are traveling through and if there are any restrictions in place. To be informed, check out AAA’s COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Map and TripTik.AAA.com.
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