Travel expected to be up this holiday weekend

More travelers will hit the roads and skies this Memorial Day weekend, according to projections from the Chicago Department of Aviation and AAA.

O'Hare and Midway International Airports will see a combined total of 1.4 million people passing through between Thursday and Tuesday. That's a nearly 5 percent increase from totals in 2009, a welcome sign after the sluggish economy has softened travel numbers for past holidays.

The busiest day will be today with 206,000 fliers at O'Hare and 60,000 at Midway.

AAA is anticipating a 5.4 percent spike in travel, projecting 32.1 million people will leave home over the long weekend compared to 30.5 million last year.

Most of those vacationers - 28 million - will be driving despite a peak in gas costs. In Illinois, the average price for regular fuel is $2.97 a gallon, a 50 cent increase from 2009.

AAA Chicago Regional President Brad Roeber said his organization and others in the travel industry are seeing an upswing in business as the economy regains momentum.

Locally, 1.74 million Illinoisans will leave home over Memorial Day, which is a significant jump of 8.3 percent from 2009. The average distance traveled over the holiday is expected to be 626 miles.

Police and safety groups are reminding drivers to wear safety belts and drive defensively this weekend. The Itasca-based National Safety Council estimates there will be 353 traffic-related deaths and 19,100 serious injuries today through Monday.

Police are expected out in force as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "Click It or Ticket" campaign this month.