US Holiday Air Travel To Increase 5 Percent

Airline lobby group Airlines for America (A4A) projects a 5 percent increase in passenger numbers over the US Labor Day holiday.

The A4A projection for the August 30 to September 5 travel period is for an increase of 110,000 passengers a day flying on US airlines, to reach a total of 16.1 million worldwide. To meet the expected demand, airlines are adding 133,000 additional seats per day over the holiday period.

“As household wealth increases, ticket prices remain low and airlines large and small continue to grow, consumers are finding it easier and more affordable than ever to get away for personal or family travel,” A4A VP John Heimlich said. “While we expect a growth in passenger traffic over the Labor Day holiday, flyers can rest assured that US airlines have appropriately increased the number of seats available for their late summer getaways.”

The busiest travel days over the holiday are expected to be Friday September 1, Thursday August 31, and Monday September 4, in that order, A4A said.