Memorial Day Weekend Air Travel Starts with Record-Breaking Numbers as Pandemic Recedes

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The Memorial Day weekend travel rush kicked off in high gear on Thursday.

Data just released by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reveals that some 2.6 million passengers were screened on Thursday, which is the highest number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reuters. Even with such a significant number of people flying, holiday weekend travel is off to a smooth start.

“So far so good,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNBC on Friday. Despite the record travel Thursday “the system held up quite well,” Buttigieg added noting less than 1 percent of flights were canceled Thursday.

Numerous reports have indicated that a record number of travelers would be hitting the skies this holiday weekend, not to mention the roads and even taking trains. The number of flights that were expected to take place on Thursday alone exceeded 51,000, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). That was the highest number for the seven-day Memorial Day travel period.

Overall, some 4.5 percent more flights will take place this Memorial Day weekend than during the same period in 2022, according to FAA estimates. However, flight numbers are still somewhat less than in 2019. That may be due in part to the fact that many airlines are operating larger planes today.

According to AAA, approximately 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day Weekend—defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 25 to Monday, May 29. That figure marks a 7 percent increase over 2022, with 2.7 million more people traveling over the holiday weekend compared to just last year.

Holiday weekend predictions
Price4Limo just released data surrounding Memorial flying highlighting what travelers can expect. Some of the key takeaways include:

  • The Saturday before Memorial Day is the best day to travel, with an average of 86% on-time flights
  • The worst day to fly for Memorial Day is the Monday before, with an average of 79% on-time flight
  • The airports with the most delayed departures during Memorial Day weekend are Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International (SJU), Texas’s Dallas Love Field (DAL), and Texas’s Houston Hobby (HOU)
  • The airports with the fewest delayed departures during Memorial Day weekend are Utah’s Salt Lake City International (SLC),
  • Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) and Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD)/Honolulu International (HNL)
  • The Airlines with the fewest departure delays over Memorial Day weekend historically include: Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta Air Lines
  • Airlines with the worst Memorial Day performance historically include Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue, which had the most departure delays.

Price4Limo’s ranking is based on Memorial Day weekend data collected from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

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