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Here’s what you need to know before traveling this Labor Day weekend

Cars traveling back to California after the Labor Day holiday weekend sit in traffic on Interstate 15 as they pass over the state border on Sept. 4, 2023, in Primm, Calif.  (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
By Cannon Barnett cannonb@spokesman.com

Record-breaking numbers of Americans are expected to travel this Labor Day weekend, flocking to cities from coast to coast.

Labor Day is the “last hurrah before school starts” for many U.S. families, according to AAA, with domestic travel up 9% from last year.

For Washington residents, the top destination is Seattle, with the number of travelers up by 30% from last year, AAA Washington’s spokesperson Mellani McAleenan said.

This is likely due to the popularity of cruises to Alaska, which experiences pleasant weather in the late summer, McAleenan said.

Drivers looking to hit the road Friday for their Labor Day vacations should aim to leave in the morning or after 7 p.m., according to the AAA. Saturday travelers will find the least traffic in the afternoon.

Westbound traffic from Cle Elum to North Bend should expect congestion Sunday between noon and 5 p.m., and Monday between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., according to the Washington State Department of Transportation website. Eastbound traffic from North Bend to Cle Elum should expect congestion Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The average gas price in Washington is $4.16, down from $5.11 last Labor Day weekend.

Spokane sits at $3.81, down from $4.80, McAleenan said.

Idaho gas prices sit at $3.53, down from $4.12 a year ago, according to the AAA Idaho.

Those traveling by car should make sure their tires are full and they have water with them, McAleenan said.

The Inland Northwest expects to see temperatures reach the 90s over the next few days.

Anyone with plans to catch a plane to their next destination should also be sure to arrive early. Transportation Security Administration agents in Washington expect to see the busiest Labor Day travel period , with staffing to support screening more than 17 million people, according to a news release.

“People are traveling more than ever this summer, and TSA, along with our airline and airport partners, stand ready to close the busiest summer travel period on record during this upcoming Labor Day weekend,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in the news release.

McAleenan said in her personal travels Thursday she experienced her baggage claim slip being handwritten at the SeaTac airport following a cyberattack.

As a blanket recommendation, TSA encourages travelers to arrive a minimum of 2 hours prior to their scheduled boarding plan on their website.

McAleenan’s biggest piece of advice for travelers is to “pack their patience,” and expect long lines and heavy traffic everywhere.

This article as been updated to reflect that McAleenan experienced handwritten baggage claim slips as a result of a cyberattack at SeaTac, not the CrowdStrike outage from July 19.