Travel
Truth or false: There more flight disruptions during the holidays? Travel myths debunked.
Record 80 million set to travel for US Thanksgiving, says AAA
Americans are expected to set a new travel record this Thanksgiving. Nearly 80 million are preparing to hit the roads, catch flights and board cruises over the holiday.
If holiday travel stresses you out, you’re not alone.
A recent survey by the travel platform KAYAK found that 84% of American travelers believe holiday flights face more delays or cancellations than at other times of the year, with 81% thinking that flight disruptions are getting worse. (Is anyone else getting flashbacks to the Southwest Airlines meltdown between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 2022?)
The travel experts at KAYAK decided to find out if that’s actually the case. “It really started as office chatter and debate as we headed into the holiday travel season,” said Kayla DeLoache, a travel trends expert for KAYAK and Cheapflights. “While some felt delays and cancellations were always expected during this time of year, others felt more optimistic that they were getting better. So we crunched the numbers.”
To debunk some of the most common myths around holiday travel, the experts analyzed 50 airports with the highest search volume on KAYAK against 2023 flight disruption data from Aviation Edge and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because it turns out holiday travel isn’t as bad as we think. “Flying during the holidays can be chaotic, but it’s not always as crazy as people make it out to be,” DeLoache said. “The holidays cram a ton of travelers into a short period, so chaos is kind of expected. Plus, with social media, any little hiccup gets blown up online, shining a spotlight on the bad rather than the good.”
Here’s the truth on some of the top travel myths around the holiday season.
Myth 1: There are more delays during the winter holidays than the rest of the year, and it’s getting worse.
Last year, less than 1% of flights were canceled during the holidays. Only 5% were delayed for more than an hour during Thanksgiving and 6% during the December holiday season. In fact, the summertime actually had more delays, with 28.6% of flights delayed in July and August.
Flight disruptions are also getting better, not worse. In 2023, only 0.33% of flights were delayed, down from 28% in 2022. “Well, if you remember, there were some big delays in 2022 during the holiday season that got a lot of media attention – not to mention the frustrated customers,” DeLoache said. So, airlines ramped up operations with better weather forecasting, streamlining systems, and improving crew scheduling procedures.
Myth 2: Bad weather is the main reason why holiday flights are delayed.
It may seem like winter storms are a holiday traveler’s worst enemy, but fewer than 27% of flights were delayed due to weather last winter. The leading reasons were carrier delays, like maintenance or crew issues, and late aircrafts.
(Not a) myth 3: Flights that depart later in the day are more likely to be delayed.
This is actually true. KAYAK found that air passengers who departed before 10 a.m. for Thanksgiving or Christmas in 2023 faced 12% fewer delays than those leaving after 5 p.m., thanks to reduced air traffic and additional buffer time. During Christmas and New Year’s, 31% of flights that left at 6 p.m. were delayed.
Myth 4: Flying on the actual holiday is better.
If you can be flexible with your travel dates, consider flying on the holiday itself. Not only will you score a cheaper flight price, but also a better chance of no delays. Last Thanksgiving Day saw 9% of flights delayed, compared to 20% the day before. Similarly, on Christmas Day, 17% of flights were delayed, compared to 33% the day after.
(Sort of) a myth 5: Bigger airports have more delays.
It depends. Major hubs such as John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and Denver International (DEN) experienced significant delays last Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, the airport with the highest percentage of delayed flights was actually the smaller Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL), where 34% of flights were delayed during the holiday travel period. Still, your chances for a smoother airport are better at a small airport, DeLoache said, with ones like San Jose International Airport (SJC) and San Antonio International Airport (SAT) the most on-time last holiday travel period.
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