How busy is Christmas Day for flying?

Christmas is a good day for traveling if you don't want to deal with large crowds and are looking to save money on airfare. If you don't mind arriving to your destination on Christmas Day itself, you won't have to deal with much traffic nor the long security lines at the airport.



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By almost all metrics, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is pretty much the worst day of the year to fly. In 2019, 2021 and 2022, it was the busiest single day of the entire year in terms of U.S. passengers, based on TSA passenger data.

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For easier leisure travel, consider Wednesday and Thursday, excludes Thanksgiving Weekend. Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays also come in as the cheapest days to fly, because they're not popular travel days.

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Expedia also recommends that you avoid departing on Sundays since this is the priciest day of the week, on average, to start a trip. The travel experts also recommend departing before 3pm to reduce the chance of cancellations.

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Average domestic airfare price by day
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly domestically.
  • Saturday and Monday flights can help you avoid the Sunday rush.
  • Wednesdays and Thursdays are the cheapest day to fly internationally.
  • Book one to three months in advance.
  • Set a price alert.


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  • Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) has the highest cancellation rate in the country for 2022: 5.55% - up from 1.43% in 2021. ...
  • LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City saw the largest increase in canceled flights – from 1471 in 2021 to 8795 in 2022 - a 497.89% jump.


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Just like us after a night of good sleep, airline circulation is freshest in the morning. If your flight departs in the morning, you are less likely to be affected by delays that stack up during the day and push back or cancel departure times.

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Are flights busy at 6AM? The probability for a delay is at its lowest (20% or below) from 6am – 11am. Early morning flights have less runway traffic, planes ready to take off from the night before, and fewer planes already in the air. Days of the week can impact the ticket price, along with delays.

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Fewer delays and cancelations
“Early morning flights are much less likely to get delayed or canceled than those taking place later in the day,” Phil Dengler, co-founder of the Vacationer, told HuffPost.

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Timing plays an important part. Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date. Instead, flights tend to be the most inexpensive when you book between four months and three weeks before your departure date.

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In the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index, which collected data from April 2022 to March 2023, Spirit earned a score of 64 out of 100, dead last out of 11 U.S.-based airlines. According to The Vacationer, Spirit was also the most avoided airline for every single age group.

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As the study showed, the day of the week can significantly impact flight disruptions. Travelers are twice as likely to have a flight canceled flying on Thursday as opposed to a Tuesday, according to the data.

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“The best time of day to fly is almost always very early in the morning,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “Early morning flights are much less likely to get delayed or canceled than those taking place later in the day.

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