When is the very best time to go away to keep away from site visitors?

Holiday vacationers throughout the nation will set out this Labor Day weekend, clogging highways and airports on the way in which to their end-of-summer locations.

Whether you are staying in Oklahoma or heading cross-country for a couple of days, the automobile-focused membership membership AAA has some recommendation for these seeking to skip site visitors and keep away from the excessive prices of journey.

Here’s a breakdown of what to anticipate should you’re leaving residence this Labor Day.

Traveling by automotive? AAA says go away within the morning

The greatest time to hit the highway in the course of the vacation might be within the morning hours earlier than site visitors will get heavy, in response to INRIX, a supplier of transportation knowledge and insights.

Best instances to journey by automotive throughout Labor Day weekend 2025

• Thursday, Aug. 28: Before 1 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 29: Before midday
• Saturday, Aug. 30: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 31: Before 11 a.m.
• Monday, Sept. 1 (Labor Day): Before midday

Traffic congestion worsens because the day progresses. The worst instances to drive over the vacation weekend are usually within the afternoon and early night. Saturday is predicted to be additional busy with many drivers heading out of city or taking day journeys.

Parts of Oklahoma may see heavy rain showers over the weekend, so examine the most recent forecast to keep away from driving by means of unhealthy climate.

Airports might be busy on Labor Day weekend

AAA’s annual Labor Day journey report reveals that the journey season isn’t exhibiting any indicators of cooling off simply but.

Airport safety checkpoints have been processing a median of greater than 2.4 million passengers per day, which is analogous to air passenger quantity seen in 2024.

“The skies have been very busy with travelers getting in both domestic and international trips during the summer vacation season,” said Shawn Steward, public affairs manager for AAA Oklahoma. “Flights in current months have been working at or close to capability.”

More: OKC Will Rogers Airport sets new record for summer travel: See data, what’s ahead for fall

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average daily passenger count was about 2.3 million passengers per day.

Labor Day travel costs are cheaper in 2025

Compared with last year, domestic round-trip flights in the United States are cheaper in 2025. On average, flights are 6% cheaper than in 2024 and average $720 per round-trip ticket.

Many vacationers are flying into Orlando, New York, Denver, and Atlanta for sightseeing, points of interest, and occasions. AAA reserving knowledge additionally reveals resort charges are 11% decrease and automotive rental prices are 3% cheaper in comparison with final Labor Day.

Hertz says the highest locations based mostly on superior automotive rental bookings are Orlando, Denver, Boston, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, with the busiest day to select up rental automobiles anticipated to be Friday, Aug. 29.

Gasoline costs over the summer time have remained low, matching summer time averages in 2021. The nationwide common for a gallon of standard was $3.33 on Labor Day final yr, in comparison with the nationwide common of $3.16, as of Aug. 25, in response to the AAA Fuel Prices tracker.