High gas prices limiting travel

Fewer Utahns will travel this Labor Day weekend than last year because of higher gas prices, according to a survey commissioned for AAA.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded Thursday in Utah was $3.94, the fourth highest in the United States, after Alaska's $4.53, Hawaii's $4.39 and Montana's $3.95. Nationally, the average gas cost was $3.66 a gallon.

On July 18, Utah's average gas prices hit record highs, with regular unleaded at $4.22 per gallon.

"They're starting to come down a little bit," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman of AAA Utah. "What happens is the summer gas formulation is more expensive than the winter formulation. That change takes place in October. Labor Day is the last of the big driving holidays in the summer. Then, driving decreases and demand drops."

Just over 343,000 Utahns are expected to travel 50 or more miles this weekend, a 1.4 percent decrease from last year. Of the 343,000, about 270,000 Utahns will drive, a 1.8 percent decrease from last year, according to the AAA survey, which was conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America.

The average Utah household will spend up to $826 during the Labor Day weekend, with as much as $177 spent on fuel, almost 20 percent of the total spending. Fairclough said this is the first year in which respondents were asked about how much they planned to spend on fuel, so year-to-year comparison data is not available.

About 56,000 Utahns will fly over the weekend, a 3.4 percent decrease from last year. About 17,000 Utahns will travel by other modes of transportation, such as buses or trains.

Nationwide, more than 34 million Americans will travel this weekend, with about 28 million in cars — a 1.1 percent decrease from last year. About 4 million people will fly, a 4.5 percent decrease from last year.

"I think the shock is kind of over, and people have probably made the accommodations in their budgets," Fairclough said. "I don't think anyone is not angry about it. They're just not as reactive right now."

At a Chevron station in downtown Salt Lake City, where motorists paid $3.95 for a gallon of gas Wednesday, Morgan Hamatake of Salt Lake City talked about how she enjoys road trips to Denver to visit friends. But this Labor Day, Hamatake will stay closer to home, visiting family in Tooele County, in part because of fuel prices.

"I don't have a good-paying job, so gas is crappy," Hamatake said.

John Avila of Salt Lake City plans to visit family and friends in St. George. A tank of gas in his full-size car costs $50, and he can drive down on a half tank. Avila moved from South Salt Lake to downtown Salt Lake City to be closer to work, and that helps him save money.

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