SAN DIEGO – Labor Day weekend is expected to be the third busiest travel weekend of the year, with 95 million Americans expected to head out of town.

“This summer has been busier than any summer since the pandemic,” said Nicole Hall, Senior Communications Specialist at the San Diego International Airport.

The San Diego International Airport is seeing Labor Day weekend numbers rival those it hasn’t seen since 2019.

“This weekend, each day we anticipate seeing about 80,000 people arriving and departing,” Hall said.

Airport officials are reminding the public Terminal 1 remains under construction, so expect detours and plan ahead. It is recommended to check your flight status before getting to the airport and to arrive two hours before your departure time.

According to AAA booking data, accommodations for hotels, flights, car rentals and cruises have all increased since last year.

“They are up 4% for domestic destinations and up 44% for international destinations, so really we are seeing a huge interest in international travel again,” said Doug Shupe, with the Auto Club of Southern California.

Labor Day weekend brings Padres baseball, Aztecs football and San Diego Wave soccer, so MTS is encouraging people to take the easier, traffic free route and choose public transit.

For those choosing to hit the road, the current average for a gallon of gas in San Diego is $5.36, up just a bit from this time last year.

“Depending on where you are it’s $.07 to $.10 higher this holiday compared to last year, but that’s not stopping people from taking those road trips. Historically higher gas prices heading into a holiday weekend, do not deter most people from traveling,” Shupe said.

Among Southern California residents, the top three destinations to travel to on Labor Day weekend are Las Vegas, San Diego and California’s Central Coast.