Gas is more than a dollar cheaper than past year, when $3-a-gallon prices made Labor Day travel hard for almost everyone. “Rising wages and falling gas prices have helped boost disposable income, which is expected to increase 3.5 percent compared to previous year, but a cautious consumer is using some of that money to save and pay debt�, AAA said. Today’s national average price of gas is $2.44 per gallon, which is 99 cents per gallon less than a year ago. Texas drivers are now paying an average of $2.23 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to the AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch. Despite the lower gasoline prices, AAA was predicting just a 1 percent increase in travelers venturing more than 50 miles from home, to 35.5 million. Travel is up across the states, AAA said, because of an improving economy and the lowest gas prices in 11 years. Triple A reports the average in Tennessee is $2.16, which is about nine cents cheaper than last week. On Wednesday, the national average price of gasoline was $2.48 a gallon. More Americans will take to the streets and skies this Labor Day weekend than previous year, in a continuation of recent travel trends. “Prices are continuing to drop and so that remains to be a good sign�. The auto group estimates that 87 percent of area travelers will get where they’re going by vehicle; seven percent are expected to travel by air and five percent by other modes of transportation, including bus and rail. Average Ohio prices are $2.27 a gallon, but many stations, including some Speedway stations, are selling below $2. Prices continue to fall week-over-week in the previously impacted states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, AAA said. Jarmusz says families always want to travel, and the gas prices don’t usually impact travel volumes much. “One day last week, oil prices jumped by 10 percent in a single session�.

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