Memorial Day travel expected to be high

AAA estimates 45 million people will travel this Memorial Day weekend, slightly more than last year, even as costs have risen across the board.

RELATED: Record number of Arizonans expected to travel for Memorial Day despite higher gas prices

At Sky Harbor, American Airlines is expecting one of its busiest years in a decade.

“For Memorial Day weekend, we’re going to have 191,000 customers fly through here for American Airlines,” said Sophia Philis-Ortiz, VP of Phoenix Operations at American Airlines.

Passengers said they feel the difference at the ticket counter.

“It’s getting up there. It’s definitely not fun,” said Sean Tairovski, who was traveling through Sky Harbor. “Hopefully it’s going to come down in the near future with everything.”

Briana Anderson was traveling through Sky Harbor on her way back to Florida. She said the costs add up fast.

“Everything is more expensive. Getting baggage is more expensive. Because they were $35, something like $40. And then you want me to pay $400 for a ticket. And then I get delayed flights.” Anderson said.

Jet fuel prices have increased since the start of the U.S. conflict with Iran, and airlines are passing that cost on to passengers. Domestic flights now average $459 round trip, up about $60 from last year.

American Airlines said it has added 25 flights per day for the summer season. The carrier also added free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members and says it is working to speed up the check-in process.

Philis-Ortiz says despite the increased costs, the public is still flying in high—even record numbers. 

“They are definitely traveling, and we are definitely busy. If you walk into Phoenix at any given time and go down one of our terminals, it’s a sea of people,” she said.

Still, there are signs that the price increases may be catching up with travelers. Going.com reports a 21% drop in people searching for flights, suggesting some may be pulling back and saving their travel budget for one bigger trip later in the year rather than several smaller ones.

AAA also said most Memorial Day flights were already booked before jet fuel prices started climbing.

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