Overview

• Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September, falling on Sept. 1 this year and creating a three-day weekend for many Americans.
• The Transportation Security Administration expects more than 17 million air travelers from Thursday through Wednesday, with Friday forecast as the busiest day.
• AAA booking data highlights Seattle, New York and Orlando as leading destinations for the long weekend.
• Arizona officials say new flex lanes on Interstate 17 will be open for the holiday period with no closures or lane restrictions planned.
• The observance traces to late-19th-century labor activism linked to the 1894 Pullman unrest, with broader union rights in the private sector established by the 1935 National Labor Relations Act.