NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. auto travel over the end of May Memorial Day weekend is projected to rise 5.8% from a year ago, to the highest level since 2007, auto club AAA said Thursday. Although gasoline prices are up from a year earlier, AAA said it doesn't expect prices to average above $3 a gallon for the holiday weekend. That will lure some 28 million Americans onto the road at the start of the peak summer driving season, the group said in its annual survey conducted with analysts at IHS Global Insight.
Auto travel will account for 87% of all travel over the holiday, which will see an expected 32.1 million Americans on the move. The total number of holiday travelers by all methods of transportation is expected to rise 5.4% from a year ago, also the most since 2007.
Leisure air travel is expected to rise by 2.4% from a year ago, with 2.15 million flyers, also the highest number since 2007.
Separately, AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said the national average price of regular gasoline Thursday stood at $2.84 a gallon, down 1.2 cents a gallon from Wednesday, but up 50.6 cents from a year earlier.
AAA's survey is based on round trips of 50 miles or more from home expected to be taken between May 27 and May 31.
