AAA: more expected to travel for Memorial Day

NEW YORK (AP) — An estimated 32.4 million Americans are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend, most of them taking advantage of a plunge in gas prices compared with last year, AAA said Tuesday.

The national travel organization estimates show a 1.5-percent increase in travel this weekend. Last year, Memorial Day travel dropped 9.6 percent compared with 2007 as pump prices soared to nearly $4 a gallon.

On Tuesday, retail gas prices averaged $2.25 a gallon, about $1.47 a gallon cheaper than a year ago, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service.

AAA said about 83 percent of Memorial Day travelers are expected to hit the highways in a motor vehicle. Another 7 percent will travel by plane. The remaining 10 percent will get around by train, bus or another mode of transportation.

AAA based its estimates on a forecast by Boston-based IHS Global Insight.

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May 12, 2009 - 11:57 a.m. EDT

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