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QuickTake:
The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline in Oregon was $5.35 on the cusp of Memorial Day weekend. That's the fourth-highest price in the nation.
Shrugging off the highest gasoline prices in four years, more than a half-million Oregonians are expected to gas up their vehicles and hit the road for the Memorial Day weekend, the auto club AAA says.
Nationally, 45 million Americans are planning to travel 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend, AAA said — and 39.1 million of them (about 505,000 in Oregon) are planning to travel by automobile.
And they’re all likely to wince when they pull into a gas station.
The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular in Oregon Thursday, May 21, was $5.35, the fourth-highest price in the nation — and more than a dollar above the average last year, $3.99. If you happen to be heading south to California, it’ll be even worse: California has the highest gas prices in the nation, at $6.14.
The West Coast usually has the highest gas prices in the nation. The national average Thursday was $4.56, AAA said.
In the Eugene-Springfield area, prices Thursday were right at the state average, $5.35, AAA said. (Looking for a bargain? A gallon of gas in Pendleton costs just $5.17, according to AAA — and that’s only 318 miles away.)
“We often see that major holidays are a bit isolated from high gas prices,” said Marie Dodds, director of government and public affairs for AAA Oregon/Idaho.
And while there’s little doubt gas prices have forced some motorists to rethink their travel plans, Dodds said “people tend to book Memorial Day travel weeks, if not months, in advance, because if you waited till the last minute to make travel plans over a major holiday, you know how difficult it can be to try to make arrangements at the last minute.”
Besides, she said, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer and represents a long weekend for many Americans.
Another factor, Dodds said, is that “some resiliency when it comes to travel” endures after the pandemic.
Even when gas prices are high, she said, “people still want to travel, and that is true, post-COVID especially, because people realize that travel is not a given.”
Travelers may make cutbacks in other areas, she said, but still plan a road trip: They may stay closer to home. They may stay with friends or families and keep a sharper eye out for free or low-cost activities at their destinations.
The Fourth of July, which falls on a Saturday this year, may provide a stronger indication of whether high gas prices are prompting Americans to cut back on road trips, Dodds said.
In Oregon, about 68,000 travelers will fly to their Memorial Day destination, AAA said. But travelers who waited to book flights will pay significantly higher prices: April airfares were 20.7% more expensive than the year before.
AAA defines the Memorial Day travel period as Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25.
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