Flying this Christmas? Expect to see a lot of others at the airport
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – If you’re heading out to the airport, expect to see a lot of other people. Friday is the busiest travel day of the year in the air.
AAA says that it has a lot to do with a strong economy. Roughly 107 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more from home during Dec. 23 through Jan. 1, a 3.1 percent increase from a year earlier and the most ever recorded according to AAA.
The group also expects air travel to grow by 4.1 percent to 6.4 million trips, the highest since 2004 as passengers take advantage of lower ticket prices. Air travel now accounts now for 5.9 percent of all travel, following four consecutive years of increases.
Hopper.com predicts this year, there are almost 3.1 million scheduled passengers from the US on Friday, Dec. 22, more than four percent above 2016’s record-setting high and the first time we’ve crossed the three million daily passenger threshold during the holiday season. This year, the top five busiest airports are: Atlanta (ATL), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW) and New York City (JFK).
The busiest day of the season for airports, the city says, will be Friday with 225,000 passengers at O’Hare and 70,000 at Midway.
The T.S.A. recommends arriving at least two hours in advance for domestic travel and three hours for international. T.S.A. also says you’re better off using gift bags or waiting to wrap your gifts once you’re at your destination. Saturday, Dec. 30, is the best day to fly home, according to Hopper.com.