RICHMOND, Va. β Millions of travelers are already hitting the road and taking to the skies for Labor Day weekend, with airports and highways expected to see heavy traffic through Tuesday.
Richmond International Airport expects between 80,000 to 85,000 fliers between now and Tuesday, which would match or surpass last year's total. Nationally, the TSA expects some 17.4 million flyers, with the most taking to the skies on Friday.
CBS 6 spoke to travelers already getting out of town at Richmond International Airport, including Jewell Snell, who was flying to Atlanta.
"Atlanta, and to see my best friend," Snell said. "Our fathers were police officers together, and they used to play cards after they got off work. And we were in the same crib, and we've just been together ever since."
Patrease Watson drove down from Fredericksburg and was heading to Ontario, California, for a special family visit.
"Going to see my third new grandbaby out in Ontario, California," Watson said. "Her name is Marly, and she was born on August the 14th, and I'm excited to see her, as well as my other two grandbabies, Elliott and Avianna."
Morgan Dean, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, says flying has been popular all year, with 7 of the 10 busiest flying days happening in 2025. He attributes this partly to lower airfare, hotel and car rental costs.
"They want to get that vacation in," Dean said. "People are prioritizing travel. They have that money set aside. They don't want anything to touch that."
However, Dean says 8 out of 10 travelers this weekend will be going by car, helped by lower gas prices. While prices in Virginia have increased slightly in recent weeks, they remain significantly cheaper than last year's Labor Day.
"Nationally, a very similar trend. We have seen prices kind of tick up in the past couple of days here as the summer travel season is rolling to a close, but by and far cheaper prices this summer compared to some of the past years," Dean said.
For those driving today or tomorrow, Dean recommends leaving before noon or 1 p.m., otherwise waiting until after 8 p.m. Air travelers should arrive early and book flights as early as possible, as there has been a slight increase in delays and cancellations this year caused by summer storms.
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