A million Michiganders are expected to hit the road for the holiday weekend, and if you're one of them, be ready to pay up at the pump.
According to AAA Michigan, we're average $3.04 per gallon across metro Detroit, around 3 cents higher than this time last week and $1.08 higher than this same time last year.
"One tip I want to offer to viewers is pack a water bottle and pack a snack, especially if you have a connecting flight. That's because a lot of the vendors in the airport have not reopened," Rebecca Spicer, the SVP for Airlines for America, said.
She said about 1 million people are clearing through TSA checkpoints every day. That's low for the average year, but much more than last year.
"Over last summer and throughout the past year, we've seen a slight uptick in travel, but of course, now with an increase in the vaccinations and a decrease in the number of cases across the country we're seeing more people hit the skies and go on vacation or go see family and friends," she said.
If you're hitting the road, AAA Michigan said travel is expected to be up 57% this Memorial Day weekend. About a million Michiganders in all, so you'll want to be strategic about when you head out.
"So one of the worst times to travel in Metro Detroit will be Friday, May 28, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., particularly in the areas of I-696W, M10 the Lodge and I-94," Adrienne Woodland, a AAA spokesperson, said.
Don't let the price at the pump catch you off guard.
Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy said the average price for a gallon of gas just hit the $3 mark for the first time since 2018.
"People want to see friends and family obviously after the pandemic winding down. It's been a long time. People had cabin fever and under restrictions for the last 15 months. So a lot of us just itching to get outside and even though high gas prices decided by many, I have an inkling that not many people are going to be parking their cars because of high prices this summer," he said.
Federal mask mandates are still in place and you are required to wear your mask throughout the airport and on the airplane.
