Gas prices are down. Expect crowded roads, more travelers this Memorial Day weekend
LANSING — Gas prices are about a dollar a gallon cheaper than last Memorial Day, and more price plummets could mean more crowded roads this summer.
Patrick De Haan, head analyst and gas price expert for Boston-based GasBuddy.com, expects more drivers on Michigan's roads this holiday weekend, and he anticipates the lower gas prices could help offset summer inflation and increased hotel and airline costs.
De Haan, who lives in Michigan, said there aren't any Michigan-specific fuel price perks or concerns this summer.
"Refiners are running pretty normally right now across the country," he said. "There are typical differences in prices between Michigan and other states but those gaps are normal."
Federal officials expected pump prices to be around $3.50 a gallon nationally this summer with prices dropping to about $3.20 by September.
Michigan is typically a bit above the national average: The current national average is $3.56 and Michigan is at $3.60, according to AAA.
If you're flying this weekend, AAA expects airports to see bigger crowds for Memorial Day weekend than they've seen since 2005. AAA is expecting 1.2 million Michiganians to fly or drive this weekend. It is expected to be the third-busiest Memorial Day, still behind pre-pandemic 2018 and 2019, since the insurance giant began tracking vacation travel in 2000.
"We’ve seen demand come roaring back, just shy of pre-pandemic levels in Michigan," said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA, in a statement. "Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to what promises to be a very busy summer travel season."
Michigan State Police are putting extra patrols out for the holiday weekend to look out for speeding and unsafe driving.
"We suggest travelers give themselves extra time to get to their destination as the expressway traffic is anticipated to be heavy," said Lt. Rene Gonzalez of the Michigan State Police.
When is the worst time to drive?
Analytics company INRIX, which works with AAA on holiday travel projections, expects roads will be busiest on Friday.
The best times to travel by car are expected to be on Thursday and Friday before the afternoon, while the worst times are between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to INRIX.
For the return trip, try before 10 a.m. on Memorial Day and aim to avoid freeways headed south from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
More Memorial Day travel tips:
Stormy Memorial Day weekend weather? Forecasters eye early start to hurricane season
Seasonal gas prices
The summer blend of gas is a different mix for environmental and ignition temperature reasons and mandated for retailers from June 1 to Sept. 15. It typically adds up to 15 cents a gallon to the cost, according to the NACS, the Association For Convenience & Fuel Retailing.
The summer switch, with both the new blend and increased demand, could increase the gas prices by about 50 cents over the prices seen from February to mid-May, when prices often reach the peak or near to the peak, according to NACS.
A few ways to save on gas this summer:
Cross the border: Gas is a bit cheaper in Ohio ($3.47) and Indiana ($3.50) than Michigan ($3.55), according to AAA state price tracker.
Shop around: GasBuddy, AAA and Autoblog.com are some of the gas station price trackers so you can shop by price without more driving around
Drive more chill: Use cruise control and relax on the hard braking, fast acceleration and speeding to improve mileage
Michigan stores eager for Memorial Day shoppers
Michigan stores and hotels are getting ready for the big season of summer travel and spending.
In a recent survey of businesses done by the Michigan Retailers Association, more than half said their sales increased in April from March and 70% expected sales to rise through July.
"As Michiganians set out on their summer vacations, we encourage them to buy nearby on their local, of vacation-local, Main Streets," said Andrea Bitely, vice president of marketing and communication for the Michigan Retailers Association. "Local downtowns and small retailers, especially those in Northern Michigan, depend on the foot traffic they see in summer months to keep their doors open year round."
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Memorial Day travel forecast: Cheaper gas, more crowded roads, busier airports
