Holiday travel is upon us and like many people around the world, we may be flying home to visit family or head out on a vacation. According to AAA, they predict that this year’s holiday season will be the busiest ever for air travel, with 7.5 million people projected to fly between Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
Travelers this season are paying about 3% more for flights, according to Hopper. The average round domestic trip ticket costs about $350.
Prices can also go up if you are traveling on the busiest days, which are Dec. 22 and Dec. 26. If you are wanting to save a little money, the cheapest days to fly fall on Dec. 19, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
United Airlines said it expects its busiest-ever holiday travel season, with about 9 million passengers planning to fly from Dec. 21 to Jan. 8. This is a 12% jump from last year.Delta Air Lines is preparing for nearly 9 million customers during its holiday travel period, which runs from Dec. 21 to Jan. 7.American Airlines also expects a busy holiday period with more than 12 million customers forecast to fly with the airline from Dec. 20 to Jan. 8.
Now if we think about holiday travel last year we may remember the Southwest Christmas meltdown. Thousands of flights were canceled during the busiest time of the year, but Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan told Bloomberg the carrier was ready for the busy holidays this year, admitting last year’s debacle “was an ugly week… But that week does not define Southwest Airlines.”
If you are flying, expect peak days to be Dec. 21, 22, 26 and 30.
As more people are traveling in and out of airports that means security lines may be long. It is recommended that you arrive at least two hours before your flight time. This gives you a buffer in case the security lines are going slower than expected.
Also, as you bring Christmas presents through security, make sure none of them are wrapped. If they are, the TSA workers will have to unwrap them to check the items. Wrap your presents once you arrive at your destination!
Now, if holiday weather rolls in to delay or cancel your flight make sure you know what the next steps are.
According to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), if your airline cancels your flight, has significant schedule changes/delays or changes your service class you are entitled to a refund.
A significant delay needs to be at least four hours, but each airline is different so make sure to clarify with your carrier.
If your flight gets canceled that is when you begin finding a different flight. Southwest will alert you when a flight is canceled but will book you on another flight, you will have to go online or talk to a service agent at the airport to find another seat. Some airlines do, but make sure you talk with an agent at the desk to make sure you have a secure seat on a departing flight!
If this does happen to you and you have not received a refund from an airline under any of these circumstances, call the US Department of Transportation so they can help you contact that specific airline.
For more information about holiday travel, visit the Transportation Security Administration website.
