Travelers are getting a head start on the long Labor Day weekend

Airports, highways, beaches and theme parks are expected to be packed across the U.S. this Labor Day weekend as a lot Americans mark the unofficial end of summer the same way they celebrated the season’s unofficial start: by traveling.

After what's already been a record-breaking summer for air travel, the Transportation Security Administration predicted its agents would screen more than 17 million people during a holiday period that started Thursday and runs through next Wednesday, about 8% more than last year.

The TSA anticipates Friday being the busiest day. In a sign the summer travel season really is winding down, however, the agency said that fewer than 2 million passengers passed through airport security checkpoints one day this week — the first time that has happened since early March.

If you plan to be part of the crowds heading out of town to enjoy one last blast of summer, here is a rundown of what you need to know.

Busy, as expected, and flight delays were common.

Airlines had canceled more than 200 U.S. flights as of late afternoon on the East Coast, a modest number by current standards. However, more than 4,500 other flights were delayed, led by Southwest and American, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Plenty of people appeared to have heeded experts' advice to get away as early as possible on Friday.

Lines of cars and passengers appeared at Los Angeles International Airport before the sun was up. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was buzzing early but slowed by midmorning, and parking spaces were still available.

Boston resident Dani Fleming flew across the country to visit her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. She got to the airport at 4:30 a.m. for her departing flight and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the lines moved both there and at San Francisco International Airport.

“The flight was easy. (I) napped for a little bit, watched movies,” Fleming said. “This was a breeze.”

Benjamin Schmeiser and his wife and 16-year-old daughter planned to fly from Chicago to San Diego to attend a concert of 1970s rock bands. It was the family's first flight together since COVID-19 hit.

“We have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time, and I’m happy that we can get the whole family in on the trip," Schmeiser said while waiting at O’Hare International Airport. “A lot of us are huge live music fans, and we love sports. Now that travel is open, it’s much more affordable, we’re able to travel a lot more.”

Weather is the leading cause of flight delays. Forecasts call for rain and maybe scattered thunderstorms from Texas to New England plus parts of Florida over the weekend, spreading over more of the Southeast on Monday.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was still working to restore all services after what airport officials described as a possible cyberattack last weekend. Flights have been running normally all week, but the airport told passengers to arrive extra early and to avoid checking bags, especially on smaller airlines, because of problems with the bag-sorting system.

Michael Novick got to SeaTac 30 minutes earlier than usual and checked three bags for his American Airlines flight to Dallas on Friday. “I was a little concerned about what things might look like, but it was absolutely seamless,” he said. “It was a normal day.”

The only thing out of the ordinary: gate agents checked boarding passes manually, Novick said.

Motorists are getting a break on gasoline. The nationwide average Friday was $3.35 per gallon, compared to $3.83 a year ago, according to AAA.

For electric vehicles, the average price for a kilowatt of power at an L2 commercial charging station is about 34 cents. The average is under 25 cents in Kansas and Missouri but tops 40 cents in several states, including New Hampshire, Tennessee and Kentucky. Hawaii is the costliest, at 56 cents.

Average airfares in July were down 7.1% from June and 2.8% from July 2023, according to the government's consumer price index. Steve Hafner, CEO of the travel metasearch site Kayak, said airfares are dropping as the peak summer-vacation season ends.

Early morning or late evening. Transportation-data provider INRIX says traffic will be heaviest between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, when people head home.

The TSA expects to screen 2.86 million people Friday. That's impressive, but it won't rank among TSA's top 15 days — 14 of which were this year. The single-day record of 3.01 million was set July 7, the Sunday after Independence Day.

TSA says it has enough screeners to keep the time it takes to get through regular lines to 30 minutes or less and to no more than 10 minutes for PreCheck lines.

American Airlines expects to operate 6,400 flights Friday, the same as Thursday, and 6,300 on Labor Day itself.

Check your flight's status before leaving for the airport. It’s better to be stuck at home than stranded at the airport.

If your flight is canceled, the airline might automatically rebook you. That might not be the best option.

“Get on the phone (to the airline's help center), get in front of an agent, reach out to the airline via social media if you have to, but find out what the other options are,” says Julian Kheel, the founder and CEO of Points Path, a browser extension that lets users compare fares with deals available using frequent-flyer points.

Kheel said agents at the airport have more leeway to help but might be overwhelmed by the number of passengers needing help. DIY rebooking on the airline website or app might be faster, he said.

Phone tip: If the airline has international help numbers, call one of those to get through more quickly.

Airlines are required to provide refunds — including for extra fees paid — to passengers whose flights are canceled for any reason. However, they are not required to pay cash compensation, and no major U.S. airlines do. Only Alaska, Southwest and JetBlue even promise travel vouchers if the cancellation is their fault.

If you’re stuck overnight, ask the airline about paying for a hotel, meals and ground transportation. All major U.S. airlines except Frontier promise to help with all three for “controllable” disruptions, according to the Transportation Department’s airline-policy dashboard.

Keep receipts for all out-of-pocket expenses in case you can file a claim later.

— Leave early. Everything will take longer than you expect, including getting through airport security.

— Watch the weather. Even if skies are clear at home, there could be storms at your flight's destination or along your road route. Have a backup route.

— Don't check a bag. About one in every 170 checked bags was lost, damaged or stolen in May, the latest month covered by government figures.

— Be nice. “Go with the flow. You don't need to hate on the customer-service people. They're doing the best they can,” said Shannon Beddingfield of Texas as she prepared to board a flight to Orlando, Florida.

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Teresa Crawford in Chicago, Mat Otero in Dallas, Haven Daley in San Francisco and Jae C. Hong in Los Angeles contributed reporting.

People sit on the beach, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Dennis Port, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

A woman fuels her car at the gateway to Cape Cod in Sagamore, Mass., Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Travelers wait for their ride share vehicles at the Nashville International Airport, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Travelers stand in a security line at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Travelers stand in a security line at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Travelers use kiosks to check in for flights in the Delta Airlines ticketing area at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Travelers wait for ride shares after disembarking the ferry from Nantucket Island, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Hyannis, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Traffic crosses the Bourne Bridge onto Cape Cod, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Bourne, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

People sit on the beach, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Dennis Port, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

People fly the American flag on their beach umbrellas, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Dennis Port, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

FILE - Travelers pass through Salt Lake City International Airport on July 3, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - Vehicles move slowly in south-bound lanes, left, of Interstate Route 93, in Boston, on July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the long-awaited hearing into Manchester City's alleged financial breaches begins on Monday.

The Premier League champion faces more than 100 charges ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English soccer. The hearing into the charges will be held by an independent commission, which will be made up of three judges appointed by a lawyer who chairs the league’s judicial panel.

City denies the charges and Guardiola said Friday that he welcomed the chance to clear the club's name. The hearing will be held behind closed doors, and a verdict is not expected until next year.

“I’m happy it’s starting on Monday. I know there will be more rumors," he told a news conference. "We’re going to see. I know what people are looking for. I know what they are expecting, I know what I read for many, many years. ... Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. So we’ll see.”

The charges, which were made in February last year, came after a four-year investigation. The alleged breaches have hung over City at a time when it has cemented its place as one of the leading clubs in world soccer — winning the Champions League for the first time in 2023 and securing an unprecedented fourth straight league title last season.

City was accused by the league of providing misleading information about its finances from 2009-18 after being bought by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in 2008. In that time City signed some of the world's leading players like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne and won three league titles — in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

Guardiola was hired in 2016 and has overseen the most successful period in the club's history, including winning the treble of the league, Champions League and FA Cup in '23. City has won the title in six of the last seven years.

The club’s exorbitant spending has provided the foundation for that unprecedented success, and prompted questions about whether anyone can halt its dominance.

The league has financial fair play rules designed to ensure clubs essentially spend what they earn from deals that are assessed for being at legitimate market value.

The charges came after an extensive investigation and the publication of leaked emails and documents, likely hacked, that were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel. The documents allegedly showed attempts to cover up the source of City's income in a bid to comply with Financial Fair Play rules operated by European soccer's governing body UEFA and the Premier League.

City was also accused of breaches relating to its alleged failure to co-operate with the investigation.

Potential punishments could include a fine, points deduction, nullification of titles or even expulsion from the England's top division, according to league rules.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola waves supporters at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester City at the London Stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola greets supporters at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester City at the London Stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)