What you need to know about Thanksgiving Day air travel
The busiest travel day before Thanksgiving this year will not be the day before but the Friday before the holiday. Load factors will exceed 85 percent, says the Air Transport Association of America (ATA).
Other possibly useful information you may want to know about holiday air travel:
—There will be fewer flyers, down two percent and lower than the peak volumes in 2006, but seats will be more crowded than ever.
—Why? Because airlines such as Delta are reducing their numbers of destinations or even flying less frequently on popular routes to cut costs.
—That factor keeps the number of passengers in seats — known as the domestic load factor — on par with last year, according to the ATA's report.
—Sunday, Nov. 27 and Monday, Nov. 28 will be the busiest air-travel days during the Thanksgiving holiday itself, the ATA said.
—The best day to travel to avoid the crowds is Thanksgiving Day when there will be the fewest travelers during that time period.
—The cheapest fares at Thanksgiving did not necessarily go to travelers booking months in advance. They will go to those who take advantage of last minute deals, says the Boston Globe.
And the future?
"Based on published airline schedules, these cuts are expected to continue through the winter," said ATA Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich.
By David Wilkening
David
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