Philadelphia travelers strategically beat Labor Day Weekend rush amid record summer travel

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — For the first time in two days, the lines have dwindled at Philly International Airport.

Lori Petrashune says she strategically scheduled her flight to Portland, Oregon to avoid the Labor Day weekend rush.

“I thought Saturday would be a good day, I thought people would be flying out on Thursday and Friday, so yeah,” said Petrashune, as she headed to the ticket counter.

TSA says more than 17 million passengers are flying for the long weekend, which is the busiest ever for the holiday at airports.

Michael Urban is also glad he waited until Saturday night to fly home to Florida.

“I figured everyone would be where they wanted to be for vacation, so I figured it would be a walk in the park so we will see,” said Urban, who was in the Philly area for a hockey tournament.

AAA says most travelers are hitting the road for the unofficial end of Summer. Our Next Traffic cameras showed a steady flow of drivers making their way towards the shore Saturday evening.

This Labor Day, gas prices are cheaper than this time last year. AAA says the average price in the Philadelphia area is $3.40 a gallon, which is down 50 cents from last Labor Day weekend.

“Plan ahead on your trip, have that route mapped out and have an alternate route if you do encounter a lot of traffic on the interstate,” AAA said.

The record-breaking travel we’ve seen this Summer isn’t over yet. Urban and other passengers we spoke with at PHL say they’re just thankful they avoided delays, the large crowds, and that they’re not flying home on Monday. 

“That’s definitely going to be a disaster,” Urban said.

“I don’t like to fly with a lot of crowds, I like to take it easy and be as easy going as possible,” said Serina Griffin, who was also flying to Portland, Oregon.

Airport officials tell us more than 93,000 people will fly in and out of PHL on Monday. It will be busy so give yourself extra time.  AAA says the roads will also be crowded on Labor Day. Drivers are advised to leave early to avoid backups.