Hit the road: More than 2 million Arizonans expected to travel over Memorial Day
May 24, 2016, 5:20 AM | Updated: 11:23 am
PHOENIX — If you’re planning to travel on Memorial Day, expect things to be crowded: More than two million Arizonans are expected to travel over the holiday weekend, Triple-A said.
The agency said the figure is up 14 percent from last year.
“Fuel savings combined with deals we’ve seen on airfare are enticing almost 1 in 3 Arizonans to kick off summer with a getaway,” Amy Moreno, senior travel manager for AAA Travel, said in a press release. “You can’t afford not to travel this summer.”
A vast majority of Arizonans on the go — 79 percent — will take Moreno’s advice and drive to their destination. Triple-A said an average gas price of $2.15 per gallon is the lowest for the holiday weekend in a decade.
About 348,000 Arizonans plan to hop on a plane to get to their final destination. The travel agency said airfare prices are down 26 percent for this Memorial Day when compared to last year.
Despite ongoing terror attack concerns in Europe, Triple-A found 60 percent of Arizonans who are planning to head overseas said the threat has not impacted their plans in any way.
However, that statistic was heavily affected by age. A quarter of those over 55 said the threats had a “great impact” on their travel plans, while just 6 percent of travelers under 35 said the same.
