These Will Be the Busiest Days to Fly or Drive During the Holidays — What to Know

More than 119 million travelers are expected to take to the skies and hit the roads for the December end-of-year holidays, capping a record-setting season.

Overall, 119.3 million people are forecast to travel 50 miles or more from their homes from Saturday, Dec. 21, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, according to AAA. That cements an already busy holiday season and represents 3 million more travelers than last year and more than the previous record set in 2019.

Nearly 90 percent of all travelers will plan to drive, leading to inevitable traffic jams across the country and up to 30 percent longer travel times. For those hoping to avoid the worst traffic, AAA recommends road trippers leave on major holidays like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.

The weekends before Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are expected to be the worst for traffic. But for those who have no choice, AAA recommends they hit the road in the mornings to avoid peak delays.

The good news is gas prices are some of the lowest they have been in years, hovering just over $3 per gallon nationally.

When it comes to flying, a record-setting 7.85 million passengers are expected to take to the skies over the holiday period. That comes despite rising ticket prices, which are 4 percent more expensive this holiday season than last year.

Airlines are also feeling the holiday rush with United Airlines, for example, telling Travel + Leisure it expects to see its busiest holiday travel period ever. In total, 9.9 million people are forecast to fly with the carrier between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6, or 12 percent more than last year. 

The busiest days to fly with the airline will be Friday, Dec. 20, Friday, Dec. 27, and Saturday, Dec. 28.

“United is ready for the holidays – our teams on the ground and in the air look forward to delivering a great experience and we’ve added even more easy-to-use features to our app to help our customers stay informed and save time,” David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer, said in a statement shared with T+L.

Beyond road trips and flights, AAA said the number of Americans traveling by bus, train, and cruise is up nearly 10 percent this holiday season compared to last year. And domestic cruise bookings are up even more with a 37 percent increase compared to last year.