A record 31.6 million people are predicted to travel aboard on U.S. carriers during the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period, according to Airlines for America (A4A), which is 3.7 percent higher than last year.
The travel period this year is Nov. 22 through Dec. 3.
“The popularity of air travel continues to soar this holiday season, as airlines and airports alike continue to invest billions of dollars into improving the quality of the experience and the efficiency of their operations,” John Heimlich, A4A vice president and chief economist, said.
An average of 2.63 million passengers daily will use U.S. airlines during the Thanksgiving travel period, A4A forecasts.
The busiest travel day is expected to be Dec. 1, with 3.1 million passengers, followed by Nov. 27, at 2.98 million passengers, and Nov. 22 with 2.96 million passengers. The lightest travel day will be Thanksgiving Day, with 1.79 million passengers. It also will be one of the lightest days of 2019.
U.S. airlines will add 108,000 seats to their schedules and operate 859 more flights daily than during the 2018 Thanksgiving travel period.
In 2018, U.S. airlines carried 58,000 tons of cargo and 2.4 million passengers daily. This is a 42 percent increase from 2000.