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Holiday travelers get some relief

Metro Detroit travelers gearing up for the summer\\\'s first holiday weekend are getting some relief at the pump, but gas prices remain far above last year\\\'s levels.

Across Metro Detroit, the average price of gas -- $2.82 a gallon -- is 12 cents less than last week, according to AAA Michigan. That\\\'s slightly less than the national average of $2.88. But motorists still will pay 34 percent more at the pump to fill up than they did a year ago.

Prices are falling amid government reports that show consumers are modifying vacation plans as a result of high gas prices. A year ago, Metro Detroit gas prices averaged $2.07 a gallon.

An estimated 1.1 million Michiganians will travel during the Memorial Day weekend, launching the start of the 2006 summer travel season, says AAA Michigan. According to a national survey conducted for AAA by the Travel Industry Association of America, more Midwest travelers are opting to fly instead of drive over the holiday -- a sign air travel is viewed as a viable alternative to driving when fuel costs are high.

In a survey AAA conducted of its Michigan members last fall, 13 percent said they were revising their summer vacation plans to avoid draining their wallets at the gas station.

In the survey, members indicated they would stay closer to home. However, if they were going to leave on a long trip, members said they would rather fly than drive.

\\\"We\\\'re getting back to the basics,\\\" AAA spokesman Jim Rink said.

Nationwide, the roads will still be jammed this weekend, but AAA says that the increase in travel during the holiday will be the smallest in four years.

AAA expects 31.4 million Americans to hit the road for 50 miles or more over the Memorial Day weekend, up less than 1 percent.

Rink predicts the gas price situation will get worse during the summer because of an expected \\\"robust