Preparing for Thanksgiving can make us feel like a chicken turkey with its head cut off. And when it comes to traveling to visit family, this Thanksgiving is expected to be the worst for travelers.
According to the trade group Airlines for America, airports will be even more crowded this year than last. Airlines are expected to carry approximately 24.6 million flyers domestically and internationally from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2. That is a 1.5 percent increase in travelers compared to last year's Thanksgiving period.
"Demand thus far this year for air travel has been strong, and we expect that to continue through the Thanksgiving holiday period,'' said Airlines for America's vice president and chief economist John Heimlich.
To cater to the amount of travelers this season, airlines are adding seats and improving amenities to improve the flying experience thanks to the increased earnings from the nine major U.S. airlines. From January through September, the major airlines had net earnings of $6.8 billion, compared to the $4.5 billion earned during those months in 2013. The recent growth, Heimlich said, is due to job growth and increased incomes.
The report found that the worst days to travel are Wednesday, Nov. 26, Sunday, Nov. 30 and Monday, Dec.1, which comes at no surprise. Those traveling out of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, and New York's John F. Kennedy will be flying out of the busiest airports.
According to the travel booking site Orbitz, the top three destinations this Thanksgiving are Orlando, Cancun and Chicago.
Last year's low airline travel was mostly due to poor weather, but the revenue of Thanksgiving travel has been low since before the recession.
[PHOTO CREDIT: joiseyshowaa]
