Travel in North and South Carolina is expected to be below average this Labor Day. Tom Crosby, vice president of communications for AAA Motor Club in Charlotte, said that the decrease in travel this year could be due to several different things. Travel could be down because gas prices are 20 cents higher than they were last year. The earlier start dates for students could also be a factor. Travel in the rest of the United States is expected to be 5 percent above normal, he said.
Holidays are especially busy for airlines.
Melissa Lawrence, owner of Travel Matters Inc. in Kings Mountain, suggests that those flying by air should arrive at the airport as early as possible. A lot of times flights will be overbooked and if you don't arrive ahead of time, you could lose your seat. Seating can be denied too. An FAA rule states that seating can be denied to a traveler if check-in occurs only 10 minutes before a flight. If they are overbooked, they are responsible for asking for volunteers to drop the flight.