Traveling this holiday season will be bustling and busy, and it’s projected to be the most traveled Thanksgiving season in years.
International travel leaped 9% in November following the presidential election, and the Transportation Security Administration is expecting 18.3 million airline passengers between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2, a 6% jump from 2023’s holiday season. In other words, it is not wise to show up late to the airport.
Here are some tips to make your Thanksgiving travel a little less stressful.
Busiest days to travel
Between Thursday, Nov. 21, and Thursday, Dec. 5, the Sunday following Thanksgiving is the busiest day to fly. Predictably, the least crowded travel day is Thanksgiving Day. In 2023, 2.3 million people flew home on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, while only 1.5 million people traveled through airports on Thanksgiving Day.
The least crowded times to travel before Thanksgiving Day are Saturday, Monday, and Thursday. The best days to travel after the holiday are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Black Friday.
Making flying smoother
The fewer items brought to the airport, the better. No checked bag means the airline can’t lose your bag, so if you can, try to travel lightly.
If your bag is lost, your airline app will offer tracking details and an option to file a missing bag report. It’s best to report a missing bag immediately as airports typically reimburse a per-day amount to cover the immediate-need items that were lost with your bag, such as toiletries and clothes. You can also get a full refund for your checked bag fees if your bag is lost for more than 12 hours following a domestic flight.
If a flight is canceled or significantly delayed, check the airline’s app to see if or where you have been rebooked. If you choose not to fly following an airline’s flight cancellation, you are entitled to an automatic refund within 20 days because of a brand-new Transportation Department rule.
Passengers whose travel plans have been interrupted for more than three hours by a delay or cancellation are usually entitled to services such as meal vouchers. Some airlines will even cover lodging and any transport needed if a cancellation is severe enough to qualify for a hotel stay.
If a cancellation happens, it’s likely every other passenger will be requesting accommodations, so the best places to ask for help are the airline’s desk in front of the gate or an airline’s lounge.
How to hit the road
Most travelers this season will be on the roads as 72 million drivers are estimated to travel 50 or more miles from home next week, 1.3 million more than last year. AAA has listed suggestions for drivers, including peak traffic times and the best departure days.
For those needing to travel to and from the airport, Uber revamped its ride-share feature, now called UberX Share, allowing riders to match with other people from the same airport, saving the riders 25% each. The feature is available at eight airports around the country.
In 2023, the national average gas price on Thanksgiving Day was $3.26 per gallon, but this year, the average has dropped to under $3 a gallon. Rental car costs have also fallen about 7% compared to last year.
If you need a rental car following a flight, be aware of any extra fees. If you already have auto insurance, check to make sure that rentals are covered under your plan. If the car you’ve reserved is not immediately available, watch out for agencies asking if you would like to upgrade for a fee, as it’s common practice for rental agencies to provide the next-best available car for no extra charge.
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When turning in a vehicle, be sure to take photos of the fuel gauge to show its full tank. Some companies have been known to add on gas fees, but photos tend to eliminate any possibility of getting charged extra.
Traveling this Thanksgiving won’t be for the faint of heart, so be sure to prepare. Double check flight tickets, keep app notifications on, plan ahead, and stay patient through swarms of travelers.