The holiday season is approaching. That means it’s time to book your flight tickets to see your parents, in-laws, siblings, family, friends, or to take that much-needed solo trip at the end of the year. However, some airports are better for holiday travelers than others, so be sure to consider all your flight options before doing so.
To find the right destination, MarketWatch surveyed 3,000 Americans to learn more about their holiday travel habits. The researchers found that 61% of respondents planned to travel this holiday season, 36% planned to fly during the holidays, and expected to pay an average of $1,869 for air travel during the holidays. I made it.
For where to start, the team also analyzed fare and flight disruption data from more than 200 airports based on the 2023 holiday season.
After crunching the numbers, MarketWatch named Harry Reid International Airport outside Las Vegas as the best airport for vacation travel. The airline achieved success thanks to fares that are about $100 cheaper than the average major airport ($382). Orlando Airport in Florida took second place due to lower-than-average fares, but missed out on the top spot due to slightly higher delay rates. These airports include Tampa International Airport in Florida in third place, followed by LaGuardia Airport in New York, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota, and Phoenix in Arizona. Sky Harbor International Airport, Nashville International Airport in Tennessee, Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Illinois and Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah were in the top 10.
However, there is good news for travelers who need to fly out from other airports across the country.
“Generally, holiday ticket cancellations decreased in 2023 compared to 2022. Only about 0.3% of flights were canceled in November 2023 and December 2023, compared to 3.33% in 2022. We saw a noticeable improvement in the last two weeks of the year.”
Among the airports to avoid, the study found that California’s San Francisco International Airport ranked lowest due to its unusually high fares, while Washington’s Seattle/Tacoma International Airport had the highest number of weather-related delays. It has become. And Chicago Midway International Airport is one airport to especially avoid, as it had a higher weather cancellation rate in November 2023 and December 2023 than “the following four airports combined.” The survey results point out. “Chicago’s Midway Airport has been having a tough time lately, ranking it second as the most stressful major airport in another recent review.”
The survey found that nearly all Americans surveyed (96%) who said they planned to fly this holiday season were concerned about travel, including concerns about delays. It turned out that 70% of the people who said they were.
MarketWatch’s research team also noted that it may be a good idea to avoid flying Spirit Airlines, which had the most delays of all airlines during the 2023 season, with 27% of flights delayed. But JetBlue followed suit, with 26% of its flights delayed. So, do your best to make alternative arrangements or learn some anxiety-reducing tips to help you manage stress while traveling so you can cope with any holiday travel woes.
