BLOOMINGTON - Kathy Wayment typically drives or flies during the three-day Labor Day holiday weekend. But not this year. High gas prices will keep the Bloomington woman at home. "We need to spend the cash for other things, more necessities instead of spending it on gas," Wayment said. She's not alone.

Traffic will decrease for the third consecutive holiday weekend this year as about 34.38 million Americans travel 50 miles or more from home for Labor Day, down 0.9 percent from the 34.7 million people who got away last year, according to AAA-Chicago Motor Club.

The prices of gasoline and airline tickets are the main reasons people will stay home, though the timing of back-to-school season also will be more of a deterrent this year, said spokeswoman Nicole Niemi.

"It's just continuing the trend we've seen all year," Niemi said.

The national average for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline was $3.67 overnight Wednesday, down about 40 cents from the Fourth of July weekend but about 92 cents higher than a year ago. In Bloomington-Normal, the overnight average was $3.70, but during the day, individual station prices jumped about 30 cents from $3.58 to $3.89. That price is down about 23 cents from Independence Day but almost $1.08 more than last year.

Nationally, about 28.64 million Americans, or more than 83 percent of all holiday travelers, still expect to drive during the three-day weekend. That number is a 1.1 percent decrease from the 28.97 million who drove last year. Almost 3.96 million Americans will fly this weekend, down 4.5 percent from a year ago.

Dave Solava of Bloomington will do both - because a friend is getting married.

"My airline ticket wasn't that bad. Gas prices are ridiculous," Solava said. "Got to do what you got to do."

The Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington expects a strong Labor Day weekend, though not as good of a holiday as last year, said Fran Strebing, CIRA deputy director of marketing.

The airport lost its Las Vegas flight earlier this year, which helped boost traffic in 2007. Airlines typically fly fewer planes on Saturday and Sunday of the Memorial Day and Labor Day holiday weekends, but a few airlines will reduce flights even further this year, Strebing said.

Planes that are scheduled to take off from the airport have strong passenger numbers, though, she said.

"We've got more people pushed onto fewer flights," Strebing said. "It looks like people are still taking advantage of the last summer weekend."

But nationally, an increasing number of people will grab that opportunity with a bus or train seat.

About 1.8 million Americans - 200,000 more people than in 2007 - will board trains or buses, a 12.5 percent increase from last year.

Fares for those alternative routes have not experienced a significant price increase, Niemi said.

"People are revisiting train travel in a way they haven't in quite some time, and it's mainly economical reasons," she said.

One-way Amtrak fares range from $15 to $43 from Normal to St. Louis and $12 to $34 from Chicago to Normal, said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.

Morning northbound and southbound trains from the Normal station are expected to sell out as people leave on their trip Friday, Magliari said.

The company might decide to add cars to allow for more passengers, but if riders don't book early enough, they also might have to be more flexible and take a different, less busy train, he said.

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Modes of travel

AAA-Chicago Motor Club expects travel during the three-day Labor Day weekend to decline from 34.7 million travelers in 2007 to 34.38 million Americans in 2008, the third consecutive holiday drop this year. The following is a breakdown of travelers' modes of transportation and how traffic compares to last year.

By car: 28.64 million, down 1.1 percent

By plane: 3.96 million, down 4.5 percent

By train, bus or other transportation: 1.8 million, up 12.5 percent

SOURCE: AAA-Chicago