Labor Day weekend travel surges, with SF among top destinations

Labor Day weekend is almost here, and many Americans are expected to say so long to summer with one last getaway.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to travel over the three-day weekend, and a good portion of them actually will be coming in to visit San Francisco and the Bay Area, which is among the top destinations, according to AAA.

Domestic travel is up 9% compared to last year, and travel costs are down 2%, AAA says. The other top U.S. destinations are New York, Boston, Denver and Chicago.

Europe is a top destination for international travelers, with Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Dublin, Ireland topping the list, AAA says. International travel over the Labor Day weekend, however, is down 4% compared to last year.

“Labor Day isn’t as popular travel-wise as July Fourth or Thanksgiving, but it’s still an opportunity for people to get away, especially if they have that built in three-day weekend,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.

TSA says it expects to screen a record-breaking 17 million passengers over the weekend.

Bay Area airports are bracing for the influx, with Oakland’s airport estimating 200,000 passengers to visit the airport from Thursday to Tuesday. The busiest travel days will be Friday and Monday, the Oakland airport says.

For those planning on driving to their destination, Thursday and Friday will be the busiest days, according to AAA. The agency advises drivers to leave before 11 a.m. to avoid traffic, which will get more congested as the day progresses.