It’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel

Article content

Drivers and airline passengers who don’t have reindeer and sleighs better get on board: It’s starting to look like another record for holiday travel in the U.S.

Article content

Article content

Auto Club AAA expects more than 119 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday and New Year’s Day, which would surpass the previous holiday season high set in 2019. Some of the busiest times are on the road and at airports.

The trade group Airlines for America is also forecasting record travel, saying it expects U.S. airlines to carry 54 million passengers during a 19-day period that began Thursday and ends Monday, January 6. The figure represents a 6% increase over last year.

Article content

A government shutdown that could begin Saturday would likely be too close to the holidays to immediately impact flights and airport operations, but that could change if the shutdown continues.

What are the busiest travel days?

Airlines expect their busiest days to be Friday and Sunday, and December 26, 27 and 29. Air traffic is expected to be light on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The slowest day for air travel in the United States this year — by a wide margin — was Thanksgiving Day.

The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million holiday travelers through January 2.

About 90% of Americans who travel away from home during the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA.

“Air travel is really high right now, but most people drive to their destinations, and that applies to every vacation,” AAA spokeswoman Axa Diaz said.

Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average on Thursday was $3.05 a gallon, down from $3.08 a year ago, according to AAA. The average cost of charging an electric vehicle is just under 35 cents per kilowatt hour, but varies by state.

Article content

Article content

Transport data firm INRIX says travel times on the country’s highways could be up to 30% longer than usual over the holidays, and Sunday is expected to see heavy traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas braced for the greatest delays, according to the company.

Weather and other wildcards

Because holiday travel lasts for weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the Thanksgiving rush, but one busy day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. Any setback — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions.

That’s how Southwest Airlines stranded two million passengers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant collapse after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

Many flights are sold out during the holidays, making cancellations more annoying than during slower periods. This is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options to rebook passengers. Only major airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interlinear agreements” that allow them to put stranded customers on another airline’s flights.

Article content

This will be the first holiday season since a Department of Transportation rule went into effect requiring airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but often had to request one.

Passengers can still request a rebooking, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. This is because finding a last-minute flight on another airline on your own is very expensive.

“When they rebook you, they’ll pay you the difference,” said Sally French, a travel expert at Consumer. “If my trip to visit my grandmother that I booked six months ago for $200 is canceled, and I turn around and book a flight four hours from now for $400, Let me pay the difference.” Nerdwallet Affairs Company.

People who fly on budget airlines with fewer flights and do not have partnerships with other airlines may face a difficult choice if the flight is cancelled.

“They’ll put you on the next Spirit or Frontier flight, but that could be some time from now. Sometimes a three-day wait for that next flight isn’t going to work for you,” French said, and it might be worth paying more to rebook on Big airline.

Article content

Some airlines are taking advantage of a provision in the new Department of Transportation rule that limits major delays to three hours for a domestic flight and six hours for an international flight. According to Brett Snyder, who runs the website Cranky Flyer, airlines that previously issued refunds for shorter delays — Delta, United and JetBlue, for example — are now using the government standard.

Delayed flights increase the risk of lost bags. Passengers who are separated from their bags should report the matter to the airline and ask what the airline will cover. Links to customer service plans for major US airlines are located at the bottom of this page.

Will the government shutdown affect flights and airports?

A government shutdown could occur if Congress does not approve a funding bill with the Friday midnight deadline. Most TSA workers at airports, air traffic controllers and customs agents are considered essential and will be required to work without pay in the event of a closure.

More uncompensated workers may call in sick the longer the closure period, which could lead to longer security lines and other delays. This appears to be the case several weeks into the government shutdown that began in December 2019.

Article content

“As our staff prepares to handle large volumes of travelers and ensure safe travel, an extended closure may mean longer wait times at airports,” TSA spokesman Carter Langston said in a statement.

AAA advises travelers “to continue their vacation plans, even if a shutdown occurs,” AAA spokesman Diaz said. He added: “Airport operations will continue as usual, but perhaps a little slower than usual, so travelers should be aware of that.”

Planning ahead for 2025

Airfare prices rose 4.7% in November, compared to the previous year, according to US government figures. But early 2025 is a good time to start planning next year’s trips, including spring breaks and summer vacations.

“Since travel is so popular, you won’t find anything that looks too bad, but January and February are great times to plan for March, April and May,” Laura Mota, an editor at travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, told The Planet. “If you want to go to Paris in the spring, you should think about it in January.”

___

AP reporters May Anderson in Nashville and Mike Pesoli in Washington contributed to this report.

Article content