Labor Day Travel Not Hampered By Rising Gas Prices

Monday, September 3rd 2007, 12:36 pm

By: News On 6

The price of gasoline continues to climb in Oklahoma, but despite the higher prices, many people were on the road over the Labor Day holiday weekend. News On 6 reporter Emory Bryan reports that according to the AAA, 400,000 people drove at least 50 miles in Oklahoma on Monday. Many of those motorists may have not liked the price they were paying for a gallon of gas, but it was less than when the summer started earlier this year.

Gas prices are down since the beginning of summer, and it may have been low enough to get more people back on the road for one more holiday. John Porter is traveling from Michigan to California and filled up in Tulsa on Monday for $46.

"It wasn't too bad, 16 gallons, it holds 20, so we weren't worried about running out of gas," says John Porter.

Porter paid $2.87 a gallon at the Flying J Truck Stop in east Tulsa. The average price for gasoline in Tulsa is $2.89 a gallon. The state average is $2.93 a gallon and outside Oklahoma, the average is lower at $2.78 a gallon.

At Tulsa International Airport, the Labor Day traffic at the terminal was smooth enough that minor problems were the only problems.

"One of my little tiny bottles didn't make it and is now all over the other tiny bottles," says traveler Holly Bauer.

Several returning passengers told the News On 6, even though the planes were full, they didn't have any problems on their flights.

â€œIt really wasn't that bad, I traveled last year, for six months straight and it's gotten a lot better,â€ says Dina and A.J. Finer.

Even though air travel is just a small part of how people get around on Labor Day, it is still up in Oklahoma and especially in Tulsa, where the Tulsa International Airport is just off what could be a record month. Traffic at TIA has increased each month this summer. While the numbers are not in for August, it could be the busiest month since September 2001. Officials say part of the reason was last monthâ€™s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.

Meanwhile, for Oklahoma motorists, gasoline prices are not expected to drop dramatically anytime soon. If you want a daily report on the average price of gasoline in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and elsewhere, click here.

Watch the video: Gas Prices Fail To Slow Holiday Travel