High gas costs take a slight bite out of Memorial Day travel

Flying is up and driving is down this coming Memorial Day weekend, but millions still are expected to bite the bullet of high gas prices during the holiday.

AAA Chicago predicted 2.9 million people will travel by air over the long weekend, an 11.5 percent increase from last year’s tally of 2.6 million. That’s despite a 14 percent boost in airfares.

In Illinois, 113,000 travelers will fly between Thursday and May 30, a nearly 12 percent jump from 2010.

Last year, gas prices were around $3.10 for a gallon of regular in the Chicago area compared to $4.34 now. That’s caused a slight dip in car travel, with 30.9 million Americans projected to drive 50 miles or more this holiday instead of 31 million last May.

In Illinois, that’s 1.6 million people hitting the road over the Memorial Day weekend, a 0.1 percent decrease from 2010, AAA said.

AAA surveyed travelers and found that six out of 10 said high fuel costs would not dampen their Memorial Day plans.

“The remaining four out of 10 said they would economize in other areas — take shorter trips and eat out less often,” AAA spokesman Beth Mosher said.