Parts of the cocoa plant they had been casting off might actually improve chocolate.

I'm David Brancaccio on this Labor Day. First, Labor Day beyond its connection to the Union and Workers Movements in America is also

the end of summer holiday weekend.

By this Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 17 million people at airports that is a record for this holiday

Prices are down for travel marketplaces. Nova saffo has that

Airfares are about 3% lower than last year according to

government figures and AAA says average gas prices are nearly 50 cents

cheaper than this time last year. It says that's helping fuel a

nine percent increase in domestic travel right now. Also helping a relatively

strong consumer. Consumer confidence in August hit a six-month high and

Americans became less worried about inflation and the likelihood over recession.

Airlines are optimistic too as they continue to see strong demand.

For the Labor Day holiday period, they've increased seat capacity by more than 3%

according to the Industry group Airlines for America.

The holiday brings an end to a summer that also got off to a strong start.

Delta, Southwest, and American all reported record sales during the quarter ending in June.

That may not necessarily translate to improved profits though, as our lines said, they're

also contending with higher costs. I'm Novasafo for Marketplace. Labor Day here may not be a

holiday known for its music but there is an argument for that. There's a rich

history of workers using songs to

advocate for better working conditions and build unions. My marketplace

colleague Ellen Rolfus wrote about this for our series Econ

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