Airfare and gas rise for summer travel

WSET reported on May 19 that the summer travel surge is beginning with higher airfare and gasoline prices complicating vacation planning ahead of Memorial Day. AAA said 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between May 21 and May 25, a record for the holiday period. The travel group said 39.1 million will go by car and 3.66 million will fly. (wset.com) AAA also said drivers are facing the highest Memorial Day gas prices in four years, while some air travelers who booked early still locked in lower fares than last year. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### Why are travelers hearing both “prices are up” and “booked early fares were lower”? AAA said on May 11 that average domestic round-trip flights for Memorial Day were 6% cheaper than a year earlier, at about $800, based on what travelers paid when they booked. (newsroom.aaa.com) The group added that most of those trips were purchased before rising jet fuel prices started affecting airfare. Kayak’s Summer 2026 report used searches made between March 1 and April 10 for travel between May 21 and Sept. 8, showing that current summer pricing depends heavily on route and booking timing. That helps explain the split in the market: earlier buyers may have caught lower fares, while later shoppers are now comparing trips against a backdrop of higher fuel costs and strong demand. (wset.com) ### How high are gas prices heading into Memorial Day? AAA said on May 14 that the national average for regular gasoline was $4.534 a gallon, compared with $4.558 a week earlier, $4.118 a month earlier and $3.180 a year earlier. The organization said that leaves drivers facing the highest Memorial Day gas prices in four years. (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said crude oil prices near $100 a barrel were keeping pump prices elevated. The group also said the national average remained in the same range as 2022, when gasoline prices hit record highs. ### What does the holiday travel forecast say about demand? AAA said Memorial Day demand remains strong despite higher fuel prices. (kayak.com) Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in the group’s forecast that “travel demand remains strong, and despite higher fuel prices, many people are prioritizing leisure travel during holiday breaks.” The same forecast said 87% of holiday travelers will drive, making road trips the dominant mode of travel. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA also said domestic car rentals are 1% cheaper than a year earlier, while bus, train and cruise travel is expected to rise 5% to 2.2 million travelers. ### So should travelers book now or wait? (gasprices.aaa.com) Kayak said its summer report is meant to show where prices are changing across destinations for trips from late May through early September. The company’s analysis is based on average round-trip economy fares and year-over-year search trends, giving travelers a route-by-route view rather than a single nationwide price call. AAA’s data points to one practical divide. (newsroom.aaa.com) Travelers who booked Memorial Day flights early paid an average of $800 and, according to AAA, did so before higher jet fuel prices fed into airfare. Drivers, by contrast, are entering the holiday with fuel costs well above last year’s level. ### What should travelers watch over the next few days? (newsroom.aaa.com) AAA said the Memorial Day travel window runs from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. Hertz, cited by AAA, expects Thursday and Friday to be the busiest rental-car pickup days, with Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston among the top demand markets. (kayak.com) Kayak’s Summer 2026 report remains one of the main public trackers for airfare changes through Sept. 8, while AAA’s fuel tracker is updating national gasoline averages daily. Those two datasets will give travelers the clearest near-term read on whether late-booking airfares or road-trip costs move further before the broader summer season peaks. (kayak.com) (newsroom.aaa.com)