This year, you might expect Friday, Dec.22, to be particularly busy. Friday is typically the busiest travel day in any given week, and — especially during Christmas week — many holiday travelers may leave on that day.
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Traveling on Christmas Eve: If it's important that you're at your destination by Christmas morning, then leaving on Christmas Eve is your best move. While crowds are heavier than Christmas Day, Christmas Eve is typically the least-crowded day of the seven days ahead of the holiday.
Although departures might be staggered, Americans will be returning home en masse the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That will make it the busiest air travel day of the year, according to the aviation firm Cirium.
TSA is projecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, Nov. 21; 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, Nov. 26, which will likely be the busiest travel day.
Cheapest Days To Fly for Christmas 2023For Christmas, opting to fly on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) can help you save 26% on domestic airfares, according to Priceline data. If you don't want to fly on Christmas Eve, traveling between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20 may help you save up to 15%.
For Christmas, the best airfares may be found 20 to 88 days before departure, with the best deals about 22 days prior. But the analysis cautions it may be cutting it close. AAA Mountain West Group spokesman Julian Paredes agrees waiting too long for low holiday airfares is risky for travelers.
Probably the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That was the busiest travel day in 2019, 2021 and 2022, according to a NerdWallet analysis of Transportation Security Administration data showing the number of passengers screened at TSA checkpoints over the past four years.