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

Drivers and airline passengers without reindeer and sleighs better make a dash for it: it’s beginning to look like another record for holiday trip in the U.S.

The auto club AAA predicts that more than 119 million people will trip at least 50 miles from home between Saturday and recent Year’s Day, which would top the previous holiday-period high set in 2019. The two weekends on either side of Christmas look to be some of the most crowded times on the road and at airports.

Trade throng Airlines for America also foresees record trip, saying it expected U.S. airlines to carry 54 million passengers during a 19-day period that started Thursday and ends Monday, Jan. 6. The number would represent a 6% boost over last year.

A government shutdown that could commence as soon as Saturday would likely be too close to the holidays to immediately affect flights and airport operations, but that might transformation if a shutdown dragged on.

Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Friday and Sunday, and on Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Flight traffic is expected to be light on both Christmas Day and recent Year’s Day. The slowest U.S. air-trip day this year — by a wide markup — was Thanksgiving Day.

The Transportation safety Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2.

About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA.

“Airline trip is just really high correct now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is factual for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.

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

Transportation-data firm INRIX says trip times on the country’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to view the heaviest traffic. Boston, recent York City, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the business.

Because the holiday trip period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions.

That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity business CrowdStrike.

Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially factual for smaller apportionment airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights.

This will be the first holiday period since a Transportation Department rule took result that requires airlines to provide customers an automatic money refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them.

Passengers still can inquire to get rebooked, which is often a better alternative than a refund during peak trip periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline yourself tends to be very expensive.

“When they rebook you, they will pay for the fare difference. If my flight to visit grandma that I booked six months ago for $200 gets canceled, and I turn around and book a flight four hours from now for $400, I have to pay that difference,” said Sally French, a trip specialist at buyer-affairs business Nerdwallet.

People traveling on apportionment airlines with fewer flights and no partnerships with other carriers may face a challenging selection in the occurrence of a canceled flight.

“They will put you on the next outgoing Spirit or Frontier flight, but that could be a while from now. Sometimes waiting three days for that next flight is not going to work for you,” and paying more to rebook on a large airline might be worthwhile, French said.

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

Delayed flights boost the hazard that bags will get lost. Passengers who get separated from their bags should update it to the airline and inquire what the airline will cover. Links to the customer-service plans of major U.S. airlines are at the bottom of this page.

A government shutdown could occur if Congress doesn’t pass a financing statement with a midnight Friday deadline. Most TSA workers at airports, air traffic controllers and customs agents are considered essential and would be required to work without pay in the occurrence of a shutdown.

More uncompensated workers might call out ill the longer a shutdown lasts, which could navigator to longer safety lines and other delays. That appeared to be the case several weeks into a government shutdown that started in December 2019.

“While our personnel have prepared to handle high volumes of travelers and ensure secure trip, an extended shutdown could cruel longer wait times at airports,” TSA spokesman Carter Langston said in a statement.

AAA advises travelers to “continue with their holiday plans, even if the shutdown materializes,” spokesperson Diaz said. “Airport operations will continue as normal, but perhaps run a bit slower than usual, so travelers should be aware of that.”

Airline fares were up 4.7% in November, compared with a year earlier, according to U.S. government figures. But early 2025 is a excellent period to commence planning next year’s trips, including for spring breaks and summer vacations.

“Because trip is so popular, you’re not going to discover anything that feels very rock-bottom, but January and February are great times to schedule for March, April and May,” Laura Motta, an editor at trip-navigator publisher Lonely earth, said. “If you desire to leave to Paris in the spring, you require to be thinking about that in January.”

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AP Reporters Mae Anderson in Nashville and Mike Pesoli in Washington contributed to this update.