by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:20 PM ET, Tue December 12, 2023
For American travelers planning to fly to their winter
holiday destinations, long lines and possibly record-setting crowds could
hinder the experience.
AAA Travel’s latest projections found that an estimated 7.5
million travelers will fly commercially over the 10-day holiday period, surpassing 2019’s record of 7.3
million passengers.
On a broader scale, industry trade group Airlines for
America (A4A) says 39 million people will board flights in the United States
between December 20 and January 2, an average of 2.8 million passengers daily.
As for the busiest days of the winter holiday travel
period—the Thursday and Friday before Christmas and the four days after—A4A
forecasts around three million people will pass through Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) checkpoints daily.
Data from Hopper also found the worst airports for winter
and holiday travel, with the commercial airline facilities in Denver, Orlando
and Las Vegas topping the list. Two New York City area airports—Newark and
JFK—were also among the worst-ranked airports.
Hopper also revealed that 24.5 million seats will depart
from airports in the U.S. between December 21 and December 27, an 11 percent
increase from capacity scheduled for the Christmas period in 2022.
Travelers are advised to arrive early, stay updated on
flight status and pack patience when heading to the busiest airports during the
holidays, including facilities in Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, Orlando
and Las Vegas.
As for airfare prices, research shows that prices are nine
percent higher than last week, with tickets for domestic roundtrip flights
scheduled to depart between December 26-30 costing passengers an average of
$357, a three percent increase from last year.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
