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Drivers and airline passengers without reindeer or sleds had better hurry: A new record for U.S. holiday travel is on the way.
Automobile club AAA predicts that more than 119 million people will travel at least 80 miles from their homes between Saturday and New Year’s Day, surpassing the previous holiday season record set in 2019. Masu. This is the time when roads and airports are busiest.
Industry group Airlines for America is also predicting record passenger numbers, saying it expects U.S. airlines to carry 54 million passengers in the 19-day period from Thursday to Monday, Jan. 6. Ta. This figure represents a 6% increase over last year.
The government shutdown, which could begin as early as Saturday, is likely too close to the holidays to have an immediate impact on flight and airport operations, but that could change if the shutdown drags on.
When are the busiest days to travel?
The airline expects its busiest days to be Friday and Sunday, as well as Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Flights are expected to be less crowded on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The slowest day for U.S. air travel this year was Thanksgiving Day by a wide margin.
The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers between the holidays and January 2nd.
According to AAA, about 90% of Americans who travel far from home during the holidays will use a car.
“There’s a lot of air travel right now, but most people drive to their destination, and that’s the same for every holiday,” said Aisha Diaz, a spokeswoman for AAA.
Gasoline prices are the same as last year. The national average on Thursday was $3.05 per gallon, down from $3.08 a year ago, according to AAA. Electric vehicle charging costs average just under 35 cents per kilowatt hour, but vary by state.
Traffic data firm INRIX said travel times on highways across the country could be up to 30% longer than usual during the holidays, with Sundays expected to be the busiest. The company said Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas with the greatest delays.
Weather and other wildcards
Because the holiday travel period lasts for several weeks, peak days at airports and airlines are typically less than the rush hours around Thanksgiving, but one busy day, followed by another, puts significant strain on flight crews. It’s a burden. And problems like winter storms or computer outages can snowball into massive disruption.
This is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and how Delta Air Lines stranded 2 million travelers worldwide in July due to a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. After the outage occurred, it suffered a small but significant meltdown.
Many flights during the holiday period are sold out, resulting in even more cancellations than during the off-season. This is especially true for smaller, low-cost airlines with fewer flights and fewer rebooking options for passengers. Only major airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have “transfer agreements” that allow stranded customers to be placed on another airline’s flight.
This is the first holiday season since a Department of Transportation rule requiring airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to customers if a flight is canceled or significantly delayed went into effect. Most air travelers were already eligible for a refund, but many had to request one.
Passengers can still request a rebooking, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. Because finding a flight on another airline yourself at the last minute tends to be very expensive.
“When rebooking, you pay the difference in fare. If the flight you booked six months ago for $200 to see your grandma gets cancelled, and you turn around and book a $400 flight four hours later, you’ll pay the difference. ,” said consumer travel expert Sally French. Administrative company Nerdwallet.
Those who fly on low-cost airlines that fly infrequently and are not affiliated with other airlines may face difficult choices if their flights are cancelled.
“They’ll put you on the next Spirit or Frontier flight, but it might be a while from now. Waiting three days for your next flight might not work,” French said. He said it might be worth paying more to rebook on a major airline.
Some airlines are taking advantage of provisions in the Department of Transportation’s new rules that define significant delays as three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights. According to Brett Snyder, who runs the website Cranky Flyer, airlines that previously issued refunds for short-term delays (such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways) are now The standards have been adopted.
Flight delays increase the risk of your baggage being lost. Passengers who lose their bag should report it to the airline and ask what compensation the airline will provide. Links to customer service plans for major U.S. airlines can be found at the bottom of this page.
Will the government shutdown affect flights and airports?
A government shutdown could occur if Congress does not pass the funding bill, which has a deadline of midnight Friday. Most TSA employees at airports, air traffic controllers, and customs officials are considered essential and would be required to work without pay in the event of a shutdown.
The longer the shutdown lasts, the more unpaid employees may report feeling unwell, which could lead to longer security lines and other delays. That’s what it looked like in the weeks after the government shutdown that began in December 2019.
TSA spokesperson Carter Langston said in a statement: “While our agents are preparing to handle the high volume of travelers and ensure safe travel, a prolonged closure will result in longer wait times at airports. There is a possibility.”
AAA spokesperson Diaz said the agency is advising travelers to “continue planning their vacations even if a shutdown becomes a reality.” “Airport operations will continue as normal, but travelers should be aware that they may be a little slower than normal.”
Plans for 2025
Airfares rose 4.7% in November from a year earlier, according to U.S. government statistics. But early 2025 is a good time to start planning next year’s travel, including spring break and summer vacation.
“Traveling is so popular that it’s hard to feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, but January and February are the best times to start planning for March, April and May,” says Travel Guide says Laura Motta, editor at publisher Lonely. Planet said. “If you want to go to Paris in the spring, you need to think about it in January.”
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Associated Press writers Mae Anderson in Nashville, Tennessee, and Mike Pesoli in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
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