AAA Louisiana is expecting another record-breaking travel weekend this Memorial Day holiday, despite the soaring gas prices. Spokesman Don Redman says part of the reason is that people had already made their plans before the war in Iran began, which directly led to the sharp increase in gasoline prices.
“Despite the higher gas prices, some of these plans were already baked in,” Redman noted.
Redman says even with gas prices being a lot more expensive now than they were a month and a half ago, the additional money people planning a Memorial Day road trip will need to set aside won’t be all that much, with all things considered.
“When you look at, let’s say, a roundtrip from Baton Rouge to Florida, the cost may be $25-$35 difference in terms of just gasoline alone,” Redman said.
Redman says the bigger concern is if the war in Iran lingers on and, in effect, gasoline prices remain high, that could put a huge dent into holiday travel late in the year.
“As we’ve seen in the past, those continued higher prices absolutely dampens travel, because it erodes all the discretionary income,” Redman explained.