busiest travel days of the year 2023

These Are the Busiest Travel Days of the Year, According to TSA

The holidays and holiday weekends often bring with them some of the most congested days at the country’s airports and on the roads..

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The Tuesday and Wednesday just before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are often among the busiest travel days of the year.

Photo by Jim Lambert / Shutterstock

Every year, millions of people embark on journeys, whether for business or leisure. After a few years of much less crowded airports due to the pandemic, the International Air Transport Association is reporting that passenger numbers are just about what they were prepandemic levels.

However, there have already been a number of days that have surpassed prepandemic levels and they’ve largely fallen right before or after holidays.

Take Independence Day, for example. In 2023, AAA projected that 4.17 million people flew over the July Fourth holiday period, surpassing the previous air travel record of 3.91 million travelers, set in 2019. Similarly, TSA screened a record number of passengers on the Sunday following Thanksgiving in 2022, with more than 2.56 million passengers.

According to the TSA, the busiest travel days of the year are usually the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving . TSA recorded its highest passenger screening volume in its history on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2019, when nearly 2.9 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints. But Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t the only times we can expect busy airports. Here are the busiest travel day of the year.

Busiest travel days of the year

Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be the busiest travel days of the year, but other holidays like Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Labor Day also see some of the highest volumes of air passengers.

So far this year, daily passenger numbers have been growing each month. In all of 2022, only one day had more than 2.5 million air passengers in the United States: November 27 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving), with 2.560 million. As of August 20, 2023, there had already been more than 75 days in the calendar year that had surpassed 2.5 million air passengers, according to TSA checkpoint data .

These have been the five busiest travel days in the last full year:

• July 30: 2.793 million passengers
• July 28: 2.785 million passengers
• July 23: 2.789 million passengers
• June 30: 2.884 million passengers (the new record for the busiest air travel day ever in the United States)
• June 16: 2.785 million passengers

For reference, the busiest travel day in all of 2019 was November 27, with 2.882 million passengers.

The busiest travel days around Christmas and New Year’s, historically

As for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the number of travelers is likely to ramp up during the end of December and into early January as well. In 2019, the highest number of travelers during the Christmas and New Year period was on Friday, December 17 (one week before Christmas), when 2.6 million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints. The second busiest day was Christmas Eve, with 2.58 million travelers, followed by the day after Christmas with 2.57 million travelers.

New York City consistently ranks as one of the top domestic travel destinations for the holidays.

Photo by Elias Andres Jose/Unsplash

Tips for flying during the busiest times of the year

There are a few ways to make travel easier and clear busy TSA checkpoints more quickly, this holiday season.

Get TSA PreCheck, Clear, and/or Global Entry

Never have these security expediting services been more valuable than during the current congestion happening at U.S. airports. TSA PreCheck recently reduced its prices from $85 to $78 for a five-year membership, and it’s only $70 to renew . Clear costs $189 per year. International travelers should consider the $100 Global Entry, which includes TSA PreCheck, for expedited customs screening upon arrival in the United States—and there’s a secret way to speed up the application process .

Check to see if your airport has a fast-pass security lane you can book in advance—for free

No TSA PreCheck or Clear? Select U.S. airports are giving travelers the option to make an advance “fast pass” reservation to head to the front of the security line—free of charge. We’ve compiled the full list of airports that offer this service .

Consider traveling with carry-on only

For those who don’t want to risk their luggage getting lost during a busy travel time when airports remain understaffed, traveling with carry-on may be your best bet. Another alternative? Luggage-shipping services .

Know what you can bring through security

If you’re traveling with carry-on, know what you can and cannot pack in said carry-on. By now, you know you can only carry on liquids in containers 3.4 ounces or smaller, so be sure that holiday items such as gravy, cranberry sauce, or wine are either left behind or packed in a checked bag as they are considered liquids and could otherwise be confiscated (and create delays). Check AFAR’s in-depth guide to what foods you can bring through TSA to make sure that what you’ve packed in your carry-on can pass through security.

Thoroughly check your bags before leaving the house

TSA recommends that travelers fully empty their bags prior to packing to make sure that they don’t accidentally bring something to the airport that they didn’t intend to bring, which could cause further delays.

Monitor the weather

Check the weather and forecasts that are available on sites such as the National Weather Service , the Weather Channel , and AccuWeather so that you can be prepared for possible disruptions and establish back-up plans for delayed travel.

Get to the airport earlier than you’d think

The lines and wait times at the country’s airports (and abroad, too) are longer than they’ve been in years. Best to arrive early and have some extra time postsecurity than risk missing your flight waiting in an hours-long check-in or security line. Aim for at least two hours before domestic flights and at least three for international flights.

Know if and when you are due a refund because of a delayed or canceled flight

On September 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a new Aviation Consumer Protection website to help travelers track down what kind of refunds or compensation their airline should provide when there is a cancellation or delay.

Airlines aren’t required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or canceled due to problems deemed beyond the company’s control, like bad weather. They also aren’t required to provide a refund when the passenger initiates the cancellation or flight change. But a refund is required by U.S. law when the airline cancels, delays, or alters a flight, or passengers are involuntarily bumped from a flight that is oversold or due to issues originating from the airline, such as operational or staffing problems.

Additionally, after the federal government began cracking down on airlines this year, all of the major U.S. airlines vowed to provide meal vouchers for delays of more than three hours and to provide transfers and hotel stays to passengers affected by an overnight cancellation. They have all also agreed to rebook travelers on an alternate flight at no added cost due to a delay or cancellation and most will also rebook on a partner airline.

This article originally appeared online in 2018; it was most recently updated in August 2023 to include current information.

These are the busiest days to travel this holiday season

2023 has been a record-setting year for air travel, and there's no reason to think the end-of-year holidays will be any different.

After logging its busiest summer ever at U.S. airport security checkpoints, the Transportation Security Administration saw more passengers on Nov. 26 — the Sunday after Thanksgiving — than on any day in its 22-year history.

And the crowds are just getting started.

AAA expects 7.5 million Americans will fly over the 10-day Christmas and New Year's holiday period. That's a number larger than both last year's holiday airport crowds and those seen in 2019.

At security checkpoints, agents will be working to keep lines moving. Their goal: wait times of 10 minutes or less in the TSA PreCheck lanes and a half-hour or less in the standard lanes.

"We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever," TSA administrator David Pekoske said in a statement last month.

It was a prediction that the Thanksgiving rush confirmed, and one that tracked with the crowds seen all year. Seven of the 10 busiest days ever at TSA checkpoints have come in 2023. The 2.9 million air travelers seen on Nov. 26 beat out the previous record from June 30, set by Fourth of July weekend travelers.

Suffice it to say, if you're traveling for a December holiday, it's a good time to make sure that your TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or Clear membership is active. Also, make sure your Known Traveler Number is attached to your flight reservation.

Meanwhile, all eyes will be on how airlines perform following 2022's headaches, most notably the Southwest Airlines December meltdown . That meltdown was an operational disaster the airline says it will avoid this year thanks to a host of changes.

Fortunately, airlines are off to a good start with this year's holiday season. Between Nov. 19 and 26, during peak the peak Thanksgiving period, U.S. based carriers canceled a collective 0.2% of flights, according to FlightAware data analyzed by TPG. That was down slightly from a similarly impressive 0.3% cancellation rate during the equivalent period last year. The rate of delays among those carriers hovered at a consistent 17% from last Thanksgiving.

However, travelers have learned all too well the last couple of years that the end-of-year holiday season can bring a plethora of potential roadblocks, including the possibility of bad weather and the lingering threat of air traffic control-related disruptions.

"Mother Nature is always the x-factor," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged at a news conference last month.

Busiest days to travel at Christmas and New Year's

The TSA anticipates heavy volume throughout the Christmas and New Year's holiday period. However, it may likely come in the form of sustained crowds, as opposed to any single, record-setting days. (In recent years, the busiest day of the year has typically been the Sunday after Thanksgiving, as it was this year.)

Exactly which days will be the busiest days to fly this month? It's a little harder to predict the end-of-year holidays, which fall on a different day of the week each year. Also, recent years have held no shortage of abnormalities, from last December's bad weather and Southwest meltdown to COVID-19 and the omicron variant surge disrupting travel in 2020 and 2021.

Last year, the three busiest days for air travel over the December holidays were as follows, per TSA data:

• Dec. 21, 2022 (a Thursday)
• Dec. 30, 2022 (a Friday)
• Jan. 2, 2023 (a Monday — and a federal holiday following New Year's Day)

This year, Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on a Monday. It seems a safe bet that airports will be busy leading into the weekends prior to the two holidays, particularly Christmas.

Airlines for America, a trade group for the largest U.S. carriers, says the busiest days will be:

• Thursday, Dec. 21
• Friday, Dec. 22
• Tuesday, Dec. 26
• Wednesday, Dec. 27
• Thursday, Dec. 28
• Friday, Dec. 29

On the other hand, if you can find a way to travel on Christmas Day, you may find ultra-light crowds — if Thanksgiving was any indication, at least. Thanksgiving Day was the second least crowded day of 2023 at U.S. airports, according to TSA data. Likewise, Airlines for America projects Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be similarly uncrowded.

What about driving?

As usual, even more Americans will drive than fly for the holidays, although the share of air travelers is up from recent years.

More than 103 million U.S. travelers will take year-end holiday road trips during the 10 days around the end-of-year holidays, according to AAA. That's up nearly 2% from last year.

There's some good news for drivers, too. The national average for a gallon of regular gas currently sits at $3.15, down slightly from this time last year.

That's despite airlines battling cost pressures from jet fuel prices in recent months.

Still, if you are driving for Christmas or New Year's, be sure to pay at the pump with a credit card that offers bonus points or cash back at gas stations . Consider stacking those bonus points with gas rewards programs and other ways to save on gas.

Bottom line

The holiday season is already off to a busy start, and that trend will likely continue this month with Christmas and New Year's travel. With those airport crowds in mind, it's a good time to double-check that you booked your flight and all other trip elements with a credit card that includes travel insurance protections.

As you travel, don't forget to take advantage of those airline fee credits on cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express . Also, don't forget to use an airline credit card for credits on checked bags or travel. This is where you can really offset that annual fee.

Download the MyTSA app so you can check security checkpoint wait times and read up on your rights as an air traveler in the event something goes wrong — including when you're owed a refund.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

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What are the busiest travel days of the year?

A record 4.7 billion people are expected to travel around the world in 2024, but many of the busiest days will likely fall outside of what is considered the winter holiday travel season.

According to data from the Transportation Security Administration , six of the ten busiest all-time travel days occurred in 2023 as Americans returned to the skies after canceling vacations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

July holds the most records with four dates appearing on TSA’s list of the top highest volume days, but the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2023 firmly holds the number one slot for being the busiest travel day in the country’s aviation history – some 2.9 million customers passed through checkpoints in more than 400 airports around the country on Nov. 26.

Recently, the TSA announced that its agents screened about 2.79 individuals on March 28, making it the first date of 2024 to make the list of the top ten highest volume days.

The agency attributed the high passenger count to spring break being in full swing, which was accompanied by some beautiful weather from coast to coast.

HOW THUNDERSTORMS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY CAN WREAK HAVOC ON AIR TRAVEL

A recently released AAA survey found more Americans plan to take a vacation over the summer than during any other season.

Popular destinations include beaches, major cities, and national parks, with guided tours and river cruises ranking near the bottom of the list of destinations.

Just under half of polled auto club members plan to take at least one commercial flight.

Potential travelers are most concerned about inflation, severe storms, overcrowding, health and summer heat, which could disrupt plans.

For some of these reasons, the U.S. Travel Association suggests that domestic travel may have already peaked in its rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, while significant growth is still anticipated in international travel.

WHAT ARE THE WORST AIRPORTS TO FLY INTO DURING WINTER?

The TSA recommends all domestic passengers arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure and three hours prior to any international flight.

The agency recently announced the expansion of its PreCheck program , which allows select fliers to use its expedited screening process at more than 200 airports.

According to the TSA, 99% of passengers enrolled in the PreCheck program wait less than 10 minutes at airport checkpoints.

Original article source: What are the busiest travel days of the year?

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TSA is prepared for record passenger volumes over the Independence Day holiday period

WASHINGTON — As the Independence Day holiday approaches, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is prepared for sustained higher summertime passenger volumes at airport security checkpoints nationwide.

TSA anticipates the busiest travel days will occur from June 29 through July 5. The peak travel day of the holiday weekend is expected to be Friday, with TSA screening an estimated 2.82 million individuals and approximately 17.7 million during the seven-day travel period. Friday’s travel figure would surpass our current single day travel record since Friday, June 16, where TSA screened nearly 2.8 million passengers. The peak Independence Day holiday travel day in 2019 was Sunday, July 7, where TSA screened 2.79 million passengers.

“TSA is staffed and ready for the increasing travel volumes during this holiday travel period with the technologies and resources for improved security effectiveness, efficiency and passenger experience at security checkpoints,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “This is largely due to the funding we received in FY23 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which places all TSA employees on the same pay scale as most other federal employees. With the new pay implementation plan for all TSA employees starting in July, attrition levels at TSA have dropped to historic lows, which means our increased employee retention has resulted in sufficient staffing levels to meet the increased passenger demand throughout the country. We expect that passenger volumes will continue to grow, and we will continue to work with our industry partners in the transportation network to meet our passenger throughput standards of 30 minutes or less in standard lanes and 10 minutes or less in TSA PreCheck® lanes. We met these standards over 98% of the time so far this year.”

Based on some of the most recent trends at the nation’s airports, TSA recommends the following Top 10 travel tips to get through the TSA security checkpoint faster:

Tip 1: TSA PreCheck members: Make sure the TSA PreCheck mark is on your boarding pass. Passengers must ensure that their Known Traveler Number (KTN) along with correct date of birth is in their airline reservation. Teenagers age 17 and under may now accompany TSA PreCheck enrolled parents or guardians through TSA PreCheck screening when traveling on the same reservation and when the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the teen’s boarding pass. Children 12 and under may still accompany an enrolled parent or guardian when traveling through the TSA PreCheck lanes anytime without restriction.

Those enrolled in TSA PreCheck enjoy the benefits of faster checkpoint screening. The five-year membership costs $78. After submitting an online application, which takes just five minutes, applicants must schedule an appointment at any of the 500+ enrollment centers. After a successful enrollment center visit, most new enrollees will receive their KTN within three to five days. Members may renew membership online up to six months prior to expiration for another five-year term for $70. Most TSA PreCheck members wait less than five minutes at the checkpoint.

Tip 2: Firearms and ammunition are not permitted in carry–on bags, but are permitted in checked bags when properly packed and declared. If passengers choose to travel with a firearm, they are permitted only when properly packed and declared at the airline ticket counter for checked baggage. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition, so travelers must also contact their airline regarding firearm and ammunition carriage policies prior to arriving at the airport.

Passengers with firearms found in a carry-on bag at a TSA security checkpoint will lose TSA PreCheck eligibility for five years, which includes current TSA PreCheck members. Additionally, TSA may conduct additional screening for those passengers to ensure no other threats are present. Late last year, TSA increased the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to $14,950. Passengers with firearms found in a carry-on bag at a TSA checkpoint are also subject to applicable city or state laws at that airport that may include citation or arrest.

Tip 3: Pack an empty bag and know before you go. When airline passengers begin packing for travel with an empty bag, they are less likely to be stopped at the security checkpoint for having prohibited items. Prior to packing that empty bag, check TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” tool to know what is prohibited. The most common prohibited items at the TSA checkpoint are drinks and foods that are prohibited according to the liquids, gels and aerosols rule.

Tip 4: Give yourself plenty of time. Summer travel is busy, so plan ahead! Passengers should give themselves plenty of time to park, return a rental car, take a shuttle to the airport if needed, check-in with the airline, check bags with the airline and prepare for the security checkpoint. Passengers may save time by removing items from pockets and placing them in their carry-on bag, instead of putting items directly into bins at the conveyor belt.

Tip 5: Be aware of new checkpoint screening technology. TSA uses a variety of security methods and technologies to secure our transportation systems. Screening protocols can be unpredictable and may vary from airport to airport depending on available technology and the current threat environment.

• Computed Tomography (CT) Scanners: Some airports have installed new state-of-the-art CT scanners which significantly improves threat detection capabilities for carry-on bags and reduces physical searches of bag contents for prohibited items. CT units give Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) the ability to review a 3D image of passengers’ bags and reduce physical searches of bag contents for prohibited items. Passengers screened in security lanes with CT units do not need to remove their 3-1-1 liquids or laptops, but they must place every carry-on item, including bags, into a bin for screening. Light items should be placed at the bottom of the bin to avoid anything falling out into the tunnel and causing an unnecessary bag jam. TSA advises travelers not to force larger items into the tunnel but to ask a TSO for assistance, as the opening to the X-ray tunnel on a CT unit is slightly smaller than on a traditional X-ray unit. Passengers are also reminded to bring a maximum of one carry-on bag and one personal item through security screening. If a passenger uses more than one bin, their bins may not come out of the tunnel together, so TSA encourages passengers to make sure they are not leaving anything behind at the checkpoint. As with any new technology, it will take some time for passengers to get used to this new screening technology. Some airports have construction underway to install these new CT scanners, and TSA asks passengers to be patient during the screening process.
• Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT): Before passengers go through the AIT, all items such as wallets, cell phones and all light outerwear must be removed. Light outerwear is defined as an outer layer of clothing with a full front zipper or buttons used to fasten the outer garment, excluding button up shirts. Examples include, but are not limited to, windbreakers and vests, suit/sport coats, blazers and light jackets. This includes all standard and TSA PreCheck passengers.

Tip 6: Make sure you have an acceptable ID. Adult passengers 18 years and older must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel. Below are some technologies TSA may use to validate your identity.

• Credential Authentication Technology (CAT): To strengthen identity verification, TSA is deploying CAT units to confirm the authenticity of a passenger’s identification credential, flight details and screening status – without having to scan a boarding pass. With CAT, passengers only need to provide their acceptable photo identification to the TSO.

The second generation of CAT, called CAT-2, is currently deployed to 25 airports and adds a camera and smart phone reader to the other CAT features. The camera captures a real-time photo of the traveler at the Travel Document Checker podium and compares the traveler’s photo on the identification credential against the in-person, real-time photo. Once the CAT-2 confirms the match, the TSO verifies and directs the traveler for appropriate security screening without ever exchanging a boarding pass. TSOs may perform additional passenger verification if needed. Photos captured by CAT units are never stored or used for any other purpose than immediate identity verification. Travelers who do not wish to participate in the facial matching process may opt out in favor of an alternative identity verification process without losing their place in line. TSA is committed to protecting passenger privacy, civil rights, civil liberties and ensuring the public’s trust as it seeks to improve the passenger experience through its exploration of identity verification technologies.

• Mobile IDs: Checkpoints at 25 airports currently accept mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and digital IDs in the participating TSA PreCheck lanes from:
• Arizona, Colorado and Georgia mDLs stored in the Apple Wallet app
• Maryland mDLs stored in the Apple Wallet or Google Wallet app
• Utah mDLs stored in the GET Mobile ID app
• American Airlines digital ID stored in the Airside Digital Identity app

All passengers presenting mDLs or digital IDs must continue to carry and have readily available their physical driver’s license or identification card, or other acceptable ID listed on the TSA website. This physical ID may be required by the TSO to complete ID verification.

Tip 7: Follow TSO guidance. Some people may not have traveled recently, so it is important to listen to the direction provided by our TSOs at the security checkpoint. There may be information on new technologies that helps reduce touchpoints or a TSO may redirect passengers to ensure we keep people moving through the screening process. If flying internationally, upon return to the United States, passengers will encounter a Customs and Border Protection officer to clear customs. Listen for their directions as well. Passengers may also need to have their baggage re-screened by a TSO to continue on to their final domestic destination. Airport and airline employees may also give guidance to help throughout the travel process. Keep in mind that we all work together to ensure a streamlined and convenient passenger experience, so please follow their directions.

Tip 8: Respect TSA and other frontline airport and airline employees. Violence and unruly behavior in the nation’s transportation systems are not acceptable and cause delays at traveler checkpoints. TSOs, along with all frontline airport and airline employees and local law enforcement are all working together to ensure safe and secure travel. Assaulting a TSO is a federal offense and will result in penalties and/or arrest. Always follow the directions of flight attendants aboard aircraft. They are there for your safety and security.

Tip 9: Contact TSA with questions, compliments, complaints or assistance. Travelers with questions have many options for contacting TSA. AskTSA is available for live assistance from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. ET via Twitter or Facebook by messaging @AskTSA or by sending a text to “272872” (“AskTSA”). For customer service issues, travelers may reach the TSA Contact Center (TCC) at (866) 289-9673. Individuals with disabilities, medical needs or other special circumstances may request passenger assistance at least 72 hours in advance by contacting our TSA Cares passenger support line at (855) 787-2227. Live assistance for both the TCC and TSA Cares is available weekdays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, or weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Tip 10: School is out. Kids are welcome! We know traveling can be stressful. TSA offers a series of videos made specifically for kids to help them understand what they can and cannot bring through the checkpoint. Passengers should double-check the bag their child packed before arriving at the security checkpoint. Formula, breast milk, juice, baby food and even liquid medications in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces are exempt from the 3-1-1 liquids rule. That’s right, when it comes to baby bottles and sippy cups, you are in the clear. Passengers must remove these items from their carry-on bag to be screened separately from the rest of their belongings. TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States, but contact the airline regarding specific ID requirements as guidelines may differ.

Checkpoint-ready passengers are instrumental in helping with efficiency at the checkpoint. When passengers arrive with their identification credentials in hand and avoid the delays associated with bringing firearms, oversized liquids and other prohibited items into the checkpoint, it facilitates faster screening for everyone.

TSA encourages all passengers to remain vigilant. If You See Something. Say Something®. Those traveling abroad should check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Know Before You Go page to learn about required documentation for your destination.

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TSA Records the Busiest Day in Its History With Nearly 3 Million Travelers

On Sunday the TSA screened a record-breaking number of travelers.

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More than 2.9 million travelers passed through airports across the United States on Sunday, breaking the Transportation Security Administration’s record for the most travelers in a single day. 

The agency screened a total of 2,907,378 travelers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to the TSA’s data . That contributed to the more than 14.6 million travelers who passed through U.S. airports from Tuesday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 26.

Agency spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said the traffic was a 10.1 percent increase from the same Sunday last year when more than 2.6 million travelers were screened.

“If you thought your airport was crowded [Sunday], not only was it crowded, but it was the busiest day ever at security checkpoints in the history of @TSA,” Farbstein wrote on X .

The record-breaking numbers come as the TSA predicted the busiest holiday season ever — which tends to mean slower security lines and frustrated passengers.

But as travelers continue into the busy winter holidays, the agency’s tips still hold true: arrive at the airport early, pack your patience, and be aware of what you can and can’t bring through security checkpoints by checking the “What Can I Bring?” page on the TSA’s website or asking the agency by either texting a question to 275-872 or messaging the agency with the @AskTSA handle on X or through Facebook Messenger.

Prior to the holiday, major U.S. airlines similarly predicted a record-setting Thanksgiving , which also held true. American Airlines, for example, said nearly 6.5 million customers flew with the carrier over the Thanksgiving holiday, the “highest-ever load factor for these dates.”

”Millions of customers were counting on us to connect them with their families, friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving — and we delivered,” David Seymour, American’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “The trust our customers place in us every day, but especially during the holidays, is something we don’t take for granted, and I could not be prouder of the team for delivering a safe, reliable and successful operation this Thanksgiving. We look forward to carrying this momentum into the December holidays."

‘That desire to get away is stronger than we have seen in a very long time’ as 115 million Americans expected to travel over the holiday season

More Americans are expected to fly or drive far from home over Christmas than did last year, putting a cap on a busy year for travel.

Auto club AAA forecast Monday that 115.2 million people will go 50 miles or more from home during the 10 days between Dec. 23 and New Year’s Day. That’s 2.2% more than AAA predicted during the comparable stretch last year.

“That desire to get away is stronger than we have seen in a very long time,” said AAA spokeswoman Aixa Diaz. “People are willing to adjust their budgets in other areas of their life, but they want to keep traveling.”

The AAA predicts that the holiday season will still fall 3% short of record travel in 2019, the last Christmas before COVID-19 hit the United States.

Air travel in the U.S. has already rebounded, surpassing 2019 levels.

The number of travelers going through U.S. airport checkpoints is up 12.4% over last year and 1.4% higher than in 2019, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Travel around the Thanksgiving Day holiday topped 2019 numbers, peaking at 2.9 million — a single-day record for TSA — screened on Sunday, Nov. 26.

Airlines are predicting a blockbuster holiday season.

Airlines for America says 39 million people — about 2.8 million a day on average — will board U.S. flights between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2. The trade group for big U.S. carriers expects about 3 million on the peak days – the Thursday and Friday before Christmas and the four days after the holiday.

The airlines count people more than once if they take connecting flights instead of nonstops, so their numbers are higher than those reported by TSA.

Travel is strong even though many Americans say they are worried about the economy. In an AP-NORC poll last week, seven out of 10 people surveyed rated the economy as poor. But at least inflation has cooled off a bit.

Airline passengers are getting a slight break from last year’s high prices. Average fares in October were 13% lower than a year earlier, according to the government’s latest data.

AAA predicts that 7.5 million people will fly in the U.S. in late December, but the club expects far more — nearly 104 million — to drive over the holidays.

Motorists will pay a bit less to fill up. The national average price for a gallon of gasoline was $3.19 at the end of last week, compared with $3.33 a year earlier, according to AAA. Gas is under $3 a gallon across a swath in the middle of the country.

Travel for Christmas and New Year’s is spread out over a couple weeks, so the busiest days rarely match the Thanksgiving peaks — TSA counted a record 2.9 million air travelers on the Sunday after the November holiday.

Transportation data provider INRIX predicted that highways will be busiest on Saturday, Dec. 23, and Thursday, Dec. 28.

AAA’s Diaz notes that many people are still working during the holidays. Vacationers heading to visit family will be mixing with commuters on the roads, “so rush hour could still be bad,” she said. “We always say leave as early as possible if you’re hitting the road or leave at night.”

Associated Press Staff Writer Rick Gentilo in Washington contributed to this report.

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The Vacationer • Air Travel • Air Travel Guides

Best & Worst Days to Fly & Travel for the Holidays – Christmas & New Year’s 2024

As seen in our 2023 Christmas Travel Survey , 50.44% of American adults plan to travel to a vacation destination or holiday gathering for Christmas this year.

There are a limited number of flights available for Christmas and New Year’s, so it is important to book as early as possible for the best prices (ideally you have already booked your holiday travel). Additionally, some days are much better than others to fly when it comes to crowds and cost. This guide will detail how far in advance to book holiday travel as well as the best and worst days to fly.

Table of Contents

How Far in Advance to Book Holiday Travel

Ideally, you should book your Thanksgiving and Christmas flights many months in advance. As a rule, we suggest booking domestic flights at least one to three months in advance. For international flights, you should book at least two to eight months in advance, but the earlier the better. For the holidays, you should book even earlier if possible to guarantee a desirable route, time, seat, and price.

With Thanksgiving over, here are our recommended cutoff dates for booking Christmas flights for the 2023 holiday season.

Christmas (book before Thanksgiving)

The best deals on Christmas flights are usually available through late August and early September . If possible, book even earlier in June or July. At the latest, you should book by Thanksgiving, but the earlier the better. If it is December and you still do not have a flight, you should expect to pay a premium. Additionally, you will likely only have undesirable flight times to choose from with the potential for one or more connections. Here is a ranking of our recommended booking times.

• June, July, and August  – Best combination of inventory and cheap prices
• Early through Middle September  – Still a great time
• Early October  – Google’s recommendation. Cheap prices but lower inventory
• Thanksgiving  – Book Christmas flights by Thanksgiving at the latest
• December  – High prices and poor flights (connections, middle seats, bad times, etc.)

Further Reading: When to Book Christmas Flights – Best & Worst Times

Thanksgiving (book before Halloween)

I recommend booking your Thanksgiving flight by late August or early September for the best price. If possible, book in June or July. Book international flights even earlier. If you wait too long, you should aim to book by Halloween at the latest. While it is possible to get a decent deal after Halloween, your chances dramatically decrease. Your odds of finding a desirable flight time also go down when booking after Halloween. Here is a ranking of our recommended times.

• Early October  – Deals are still available but desirable flights may be limited
• Halloween  – Book Thanksgiving flights by Halloween at the latest
• November  – High prices and poor flights (connections, middle seats, bad times, etc.)

Further Reading: When to Book Thanksgiving Flights – Best & Worst Times

Best & Worst Days to Fly for the Holidays

Being on a Thursday every year, the best and worst days to fly for Thanksgiving are predictable. Christmas is a little more difficult since it does not fall on the same day of the week every year. Here are the days you should target and the days you should avoid this holiday season. To come up with our best and worst dates forecast, we sampled hundreds of flight prices around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our sample included numerous departure and arrival cities around the United States.

Christmas (best departure and return dates)

Our 2023 Christmas Travel Survey shows 50.44% of American adults plan to travel to a vacation destination or gathering. Since Christmas falls on a different day every year, the best days to fly change. Other things such as school and business closures affect the dates too. Christmas can fall on a weekend (as it did in 2022), which further complicates things. Generally, the worst day to fly for Christmas is December 23, but that is not a hard rule.

Best Christmas Travel Dates for 2023

The earlier you depart the week before Christmas the better. Americans will look to get a few days of work in before flying out. If possible, fly on Monday, December 18, or Tuesday, December 19. Sunday, December 17 is even better if you can swing it. Flying on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is ideal for cheaper prices and fewer crowds too, but you may not want to travel on a holiday.

Christmas falls on a Monday this year, so many people will fly home the day after. Tuesday, December 26 and Wednesday, December 27 will be popular travel days, so try and wait until Thursday or Friday.

Worst Christmas Travel Dates for 2023

The three days before Christmas Eve, the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, are going to be busy travel days. I recommend avoiding them and departing earlier in the week if you can.

Avoid the Tuesday and Wednesday after Christmas for your return flight. Despite being the day after Christmas, many people will fly home on Tuesday or Wednesday so they can return to work for a few days before the weekend.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Travel Tips

We recommend flying out for New Year’s on Thursday, December 28 or Friday, December 29. Fly home on Wednesday January 3 or Thursday January 4. While it is not ideal, flying out on the night of New Year’s Eve or the morning of New Year’s Day is generally cheap. Unfortunately, you will probably miss New Year’s Eve activities if you opt for an evening flight. An early New Year’s Day flight is not optimal either unless you can go bed very early on New Year’s Eve.

Avoid flying out on Saturday, December 30 and the morning of December 31.

Thanksgiving (best departure and return dates)

Our 2023 Thanksgiving Travel Survey shows more than 45.21% of American adults intend to travel to a vacation destination or holiday gathering last year. That means tens of millions of people will fight over seats for a very limited number of flights.

Best Thanksgiving Travel Dates for 2023

As the table shows, you want to depart early during the week. If possible, Sunday is even better than Monday. While not ideal, Thanksgiving Day is a great day to fly . Black Friday is also a good day to fly if you can swing a shorter trip.

Most people return home the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so aim to fly back on the Friday or Monday after Turkey Day. If you can wait another day, Tuesday is even better than Monday.

Worst Thanksgiving Travel Dates for 2023

Avoid the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at all costs. It is one of the most popular days of the year to fly, and it is expensive. Additionally, airports are always packed, so it is an extra stressful experience.

Avoid the Sunday after Thanksgiving for your return flight. Most people fly that day to get home before the workweek. I recommend flying home on Friday or Monday or Tuesday.

Average Holiday Flight Prices for 2023 – Thanksgiving ($300) and Christmas ($400)

With November here, flight prices are increasing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Expect to pay on average $300 for a roundtrip Flight for Thanksgiving. For Christmas, expect to pay on average $400 for a roundtrip flight.

Those prices will vary by your destination and dates of travel, so we recommend doing your homework before booking. If possible, travel on our recommended days and avoid the worst days.

We’ve found many domestic Thanksgiving and Christmas flights for under $200. We’ve also found various international Thanksgiving and Christmas flights for under $500.

Flexibility is the key to finding the absolute cheapest holiday flights. Use the Google Flights Explore map to find the best flight deals from your home airport or city around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Travel is Recovering for the 2023 Holiday Season

On most days, hundreds of thousands more travelers are going through TSA checkpoints compared to the same day as last year. For 2023, we expect holiday travel numbers to resemble or surpass 2019, which is the most recent pre-pandemic year.

Further Reading: What to Do if Your Airline Cancels or Delays Your Flight and How to Avoid Airline Flight Delays & Cancellations

Other Tips For Scoring a Cheap Holiday Flight Deal

Check out our guide to finding and booking cheap flights for additional tips. A few of the major tips may not be applicable with holiday travel (being very flexible on dates and destinations), but other guidelines can help. Here are a few of them.

• Do: Start With Google Flights
• Do: Be Open to Different Nearby Departure and Arrival Airports
• Do: Be Open to All Airlines
• Do: Be Open to Flights With Connections
• Don’t: Waste Your Time Clearing Cookies
• Don’t: Waste Your Time Browsing in Incognito

Additionally, our best websites to book cheap flights guide and top airline credit cards tutorial can help you save even more money.

Further Reading: Clearing Cookies or Searching Incognito Does Not Show Cheaper Flight Prices

The best days to fly for Thanksgiving are the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Turkey Day.

The worst day to fly for Thanksgiving is the Wednesday before.

The best days are the Friday, Monday, and Tuesday after Turkey Day. The worst day is the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

It is, but it is not ideal for most people.

It is, but most people do not want to fly home on the day after Thanksgiving.

Book by the middle of September at the latest for the best price, but you should ideally book earlier. Book even earlier for international flights. Do not wait until after Halloween to book.

It depends since Christmas is on a different day each year. Shoot for at least a few days before Christmas Eve.

Avoid the two days before Christmas Eve.

It depends since Christmas is on a different day each year. Shoot for at least a few days after Christmas.

Book by the middle of September for the best price. Book even earlier for international flights. Do not wait until after Thanksgiving to book.

The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts

Ideally, you have already booked your 2023 holiday travel. If you have not done so already, there is still time to get a deal, but you need to move quickly. Shoot for the dates discussed in the article and avoid the bad ones. After the holidays are over, follow our best days of the week to fly and our best day of the week to book flights guides.

By Phil Dengler

In addition to being a co-founder of The Vacationer, Phil Dengler is also the head of editorial and marketing. Previously, he ran a popular holiday deals website where he was a trusted source for all things Black Friday. With The Vacationer, Phil combines his knowledge of deals with his love of travel to help you plan the perfect vacation.

Thanksgiving Travel Survey 2022 — 43%+ to Travel; 66%+ Say Inflation is Affecting Plans; 29% to Spend $501+ on Travel; Cranberry Sauce Most Hated Food

When to Book Thanksgiving Flights – Travel Guide & Tips for 2024

When to Book Christmas Flights – Travel Guide & Tips for 2024

Thanksgiving travel tips: Best and worst days to fly or drive

Some airlines are expecting their busiest Thanksgiving ever.

As Thanksgiving approaches, millions of Americans are gearing up to hit the highway or head to the airport -- and some airlines are expecting their busiest Thanksgiving ever.

Here's what you need to know:

Thanksgiving travel by air

AAA projects 4.7 million travelers will fly over Thanksgiving -- a 6.6% increase from last year. This would mark the highest number of people flying for Thanksgiving since 2005.

The busiest and most expensive days to fly before Thanksgiving will be Tuesday, Nov. 21, and Wednesday, Nov. 22, according to AAA.

The best day to go to the airport for Thanksgiving is Monday, Nov. 20, when flights will be 12% cheaper than on Nov. 22, according to Expedia.

MORE: Thanksgiving food price forecast, retailers with early deals and expert savings tips

The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen 30 million passengers during its Thanksgiving travel period, which runs from Nov. 17 to Nov. 28.

"We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever. In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA's history," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. "We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season. We will also do our best to maintain wait time standards of under 10 minutes for TSA PreCheck® lanes and under 30 minutes for standard screening lanes."

The most popular domestic destinations for Thanksgiving this year are New York City, Los Angeles and Orlando, Florida, according to Hopper. Internationally, the most popular cities are London, Tokyo and Paris.

The cheapest days to return home will be Friday, Nov. 24, or Monday, Nov. 27, according to Hopper.

United Airlines said it expects to have its busiest Thanksgiving ever, with over 5.9 million passengers -- a 13% increase from last year.

MORE: Supermarkets like Giant, ShopRite giving free turkeys for Thanksgiving again

United anticipates that Sunday, Nov. 26, will be one of its busiest days since before the pandemic, with more than 517,000 people expected to fly.

Due to remote work, United said its holiday travel period has extended. United said the demand for flying the Monday before Thanksgiving is up nearly 10% from 2019, while demand for flying the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is only up 3%.

American Airlines said it predicts a record 7.8 million passengers over Thanksgiving.

American said Sunday, Nov. 26, and Monday, Nov. 27, will be its busiest days.

"I think the best tip we can offer is to ask everyone to arrive early for your flights," said John Busch, TSA's federal security director at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. "Recommendation is always two hours before a domestic flight, three hours before an international flight."

Thanksgiving travel by road

AAA projects that 55.4 million people will drive 50 miles or farther from home for Thanksgiving -- a 2.3% increase from last year. This marks the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000.

The busiest day on the roads is expected to be Wednesday, Nov. 22, according to transportation analytics company INRIX. Drivers should leave home in the morning or after 6 p.m. to avoid the heaviest traffic, INRIX said.

On Sunday, Nov. 26, the worst traffic is forecast to be between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The best time to hit the road will be before noon, according to INRIX.

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Driving this Christmas? Here's how to avoid the worst traffic.

It's going to be a busy holiday travel season, especially for those who are planning to hit the road to reach their final destination.

AAA projects 115.2 million travelers between Dec. 23 and New Year's Day – and 90% of those people will be going by car. It'll be the second-highest on record of drivers following 2019.

"This year-end holiday forecast, with an additional 2.5 million travelers compared to last year, mirrors what AAA Travel has been observing throughout 2023," Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement.

With packed roads, driving times can take up to 20% longer, according to Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. Travelers in major metro areas such as Denver, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., may encounter almost double the typical delays, he added.

Despite the serious congestion, there is some good news: Gas prices this holiday season will be the same or lower than last year.

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What are the best times to travel by car?

Drivers with flexibility in their travel plans should hit the road on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's to avoid the worst traffic.

On Saturday, Dec. 23, early birds who leave before 10 a.m. will get the worm (hit less traffic).

The days between Christmas and New Year's (Tuesday, Dec. 26; Wednesday, Dec. 27; Thursday, Dec. 28; Friday; Dec. 29; and Saturday, Dec. 30) will be the most hectic on the roads. The least traffic will be before noon.

What are the worst times to travel by car?

Drivers can anticipate the worst traffic before Christmas on Dec. 23 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

After Christmas, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, the roads are forecasted to be packed between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 28 and 29, according to INRIX.

As people head to their New Year's destinations, the worst traffic will be between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 30.

Peak congestion times in major US cities

To steer clear of bumper-to-bumper traffic, be smart about the routes and timing of your drive. "Avoid peak commuting hours and use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services to minimize holiday travel traffic frustrations," Pishue said.

◾ Worst route: Augusta to Atlanta via I-20 West.

◾ Worst day: Dec. 30.

◾ Worst time: 7:15 p.m. 

◾ Estimated travel time: 1 hour, 56 minutes.

◾ Worst route: Boston to Portsmouth via I-95 North.

◾ Worst day: Dec. 23.

◾ Worst time: 4:15 p.m. 

◾ Estimated travel time: 1 hour, 41 minutes.

◾ Worst route: Fort Collins to Denver via I-25 South.

◾ Worst day: Dec. 29.

◾ Worst time: 2 p.m. 

◾ Estimated travel time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Los Angeles

◾ Worst route: Bakersfield to Los Angeles via I-5 South.

◾ Worst day: Dec. 27.

◾ Worst time: 6:15 p.m. 

◾ Estimated travel time: 2 hours, 41 minutes.

Minneapolis

◾ Worst route: Eau Claire to Minneapolis via I-94 West.

◾ Worst day: Dec. 28.

◾ Worst time: 10:15 a.m. 

◾ Estimated travel time: 2 hours, 7 minutes.

◾ Worst route: New York to Hamptons via Long Island Expy East.

◾ Worst time: 2:30 p.m.

◾ Estimated travel time: 2 hours, 8 minutes.

San Francisco

◾ Worst route: San Francisco to Sacramento via I-80 East.

◾ Worst time: 5:15 p.m.

◾ Estimated travel time: 1 hour, 49 minutes.

◾ Worst route: Baltimore to Washington, D.C., via Balt/Wash Pkwy South.

◾ Worst time: 3:45 p.m.

◾ Estimated travel time: 1 hour, 1 minute.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .

• Get 7 Days Free

These are the best and worst air travel days around Thanksgiving and Christmas

By Sally French

Here are the most and least crowded days around the holidays, and which days might be cheaper

This article is reprinted by permission from NerdWallet.

Most weeks of the year, Friday is the busiest day for air travel, and Tuesday is the least busy day. During the holidays, though, that doesn't necessarily hold true.

In most years, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day at U.S. airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which tracks the number of passengers screened daily. The two days after Christmas also see heavy travel. And since Christmas falls on a Monday this year, that might mean an abnormally busy Tuesday and Wednesday of that week.

To avoid crowds and save money, consider skipping the busy days and book your flights on one of the slower ones. Here's a breakdown of the best and worst days to fly during the winter holidays, and how you can strategize to avoid crowds and save money.

The busiest days to fly around Thanksgiving

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is brutal for airport crowds. Last year, about 83% more people flew on the Sunday after Thanksgiving than on Thanksgiving Day, according to TSA data, making it the busiest travel day of 2022.

That same Sunday was also the year's single busiest airport travel day in both 2019 and 2021. In 2020, the busiest days of the year for air travel were largely concentrated in January and February, before the widespread impact of COVID-19, which would reduce holiday travel later in the year.

Here's a look at the three busiest days to fly in the seven calendar dates before and after Thanksgiving over the past four years, based on TSA checkpoint data:

Source: Transportation Security Administration checkpoint data, 2019-2022.

And here are the three least busy days to fly in that period:

Assuming past trends continue in 2023, expect Sunday, Nov. 26, to be the busiest travel day around Thanksgiving, followed by Wednesday, Nov. 22. Even if you fly out one day ahead of the biggest crowds, Saturday, Nov. 25, will also likely be busy.

And this year, crowds will likely be bigger based on the fact that past 2023 holidays have already set air travel records. For example, 2023's Fourth of July weekend set records for U.S. air travel. More than 2.884 million people passed through TSA checkpoints on the Friday before July 4, according to TSA checkpoint data. That topped the previous record, which was on the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2019, when a recorded 2.882 million people passed through TSA checkpoints.

Learn more: Crowds, costs and cancellation concerns? Try these tips and tricks for booking holiday travel.

The busiest days to fly around Christmas

Christmas airport crowds can be trickier to predict than Thanksgiving crowds given that the holiday falls on a different day of the week each year and air travel patterns are often dictated by the workweek. This year, Christmas falls on a Monday.

But just as the Sunday after Thanksgiving tends to draw huge crowds, the days just after Christmas are wildly popular. And much like how few people travel on Thanksgiving Day itself, relatively few people travel on Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

Here's a look at the three busiest days to fly in the seven calendar dates before and after Christmas over the past four years, based on TSA checkpoint data:

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.

According to Chase Travel, Friday, Dec. 22, is one of the top three busiest days across all flights booked in either December 2023 or January 2024 (the other two busiest days are Saturday, Dec. 23, and Saturday, Dec. 30). Similarly, booking site Hopper anticipates that day having the highest fare for the Christmas season.

This holiday travel season may see some relief, though. Hanukkah, which begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, can sometimes align closely with Christmas. The eight-day celebration ran from Dec. 18-26 in 2022, but this year will commence on Dec. 15 -- likely before the Christmas crowds start.

Another consideration for travel is that the weeklong celebration of Kwanzaa runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.

How to choose less crowded (and cheaper) travel days

The holiday travel season is always expensive, but there is some decrease from last year's prices. Airfares for Christmas trips are averaging $400 according to Hopper data. That's down 12%, or about $52 per ticket, from last year. The bad news is that it's still 29% higher than holiday airfares were in 2019.

Travel on the holiday: Traveling on the holiday is often the best way to avoid crowds and save money. Last year, 23.4% more people flew on the day after Christmas versus Christmas Day, which fell on a Sunday.

And that demand has a strong effect on prices. According to Hopper, domestic flights on Christmas Day average about 26% less than peak prices.

Book morning flights: If you are traveling on the holiday, catch the first flight out for the day and you might arrive in time for evening festivities. Taking early flights is also considered good practice to reduce your odds of a flight delay. In the first half of 2023, 7.8% of flights were delayed because an aircraft arrived late, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.

Stay longer: If you can take the days off or work remotely, then it can make sense to fly as long before or after a holiday as possible.

For Thanksgiving, Hopper recommends flying the Monday of Thanksgiving week and returning any weekday the following week. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is historically the busiest day to fly, so extending your trip by just one day can save you money. According to Hopper, airfares average 40% less on the Monday after Thanksgiving versus the Sunday after.

For Christmas, Hopper recommends departing the Monday or Tuesday before Christmas weekend and returning midweek following the holiday.

Skip holiday travel completely: If you don't mind celebrating in an unconventional way, consider participating in something like an un-holiday, where you shift the celebration by a couple of days or weeks.

Read next: If you want to be a more climate-friendly traveler, tough it out on the budget airlines--here's why

More From NerdWallet

The Best Airlines for 2023 Holiday Travel on PointsShould You Buy Travel Insurance for Holiday Travel?The Frequent Traveler Benefit People Want More Than Perks

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @SAFmedia.

-Sally French

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The Best Days to Fly Around the Fourth of July in 2024

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Table of Contents

The best and worst days to fly July Fourth weekend

The smarter, cheaper fourth of july travel itinerary, what about driving on july fourth.

Making Fourth of July travel predictions is tricky this year because the holiday falls midweek, on a Thursday. Some folks may take Monday off to enjoy a long weekend, while others may save their vacation time for a different holiday.

With that in mind, here’s some guidance around booking July Fourth weekend air travel in 2024 and how you might be able to avoid the crowds (and potentially save money on airfare ).

TSA collects data daily to capture the number of passengers screened at its U.S. checkpoints. NerdWallet analyzed the 2019-2022 air travel data for the seven days before and after July Fourth.

In each of the analyzed years, the Friday before July Fourth was the busiest travel day ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

Are airports busy on July Fourth? The data shows the holiday is the least busy day to fly, with airport crowds averaging just 81% of what they are relative to the busiest travel day. The FAA's predictions show the same.

Based on an average of the analyzed years, here are the worst days to travel around July Fourth weekend, ranked from most to least crowded.

Pre-holiday:

Friday before.

Thursday before.

Monday before.

Post-holiday:

Sunday after.

Monday after.

Thursday after.

Instead, consider these options. Here’s what the data showed as the best days to travel over July Fourth, ranked from least to most crowded:

Saturday before.

Tuesday before.

Sunday before.

Saturday after.

Friday after.

Wednesday after.

Based on recent historical trends, most people will kick off their Fourth of July weekend as early as possible, jetting off on the Friday before — or even ducking out of the workweek early by departing on the Thursday prior. Most travelers will likely maximize their weekends, waiting until the Sunday after the holiday to fly home.

But following typical July Fourth holiday travel patterns could mean costs in terms of airfare and time spent waiting in line at the airport. Deviate from that schedule to find lighter crowds and perhaps better July Fourth flight deals, too.

Try these travel days instead:

Embrace Saturday travel: Rather than rush out from work on Friday afternoon to jump on a flight, relax at home that evening and depart Saturday morning instead. Simply shifting your trip by one day could likely result in going from one of the busiest to lightest travel days of the July Fourth travel period.

The same goes for traveling back home. While it can be tempting to extend your trip as long as possible before work starts on Monday, skip the Sunday flight and fly home on Saturday instead. Bonus: You’ll give yourself a day at home to rest and recover before you hit the next workweek (how responsible of you).

Fly on July Fourth: If you don’t mind traveling on the holiday, you’re looking at the single emptiest air travel day of the period analyzed.

Do one better by flying out early on the holiday. Travel booking app Hopper’s spring 2023 Flight Disruption Outlook found that flights that depart from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. are half as likely to be delayed versus flights with scheduled departure times after 9 a.m.

Plus, a morning flight improves your odds of catching the fireworks at your final destination.

Fly on July 5: Will July 5 be a busy travel day in 2024? Likely yes. This year, July 5 falls on a Friday, one of the most expensive days to fly year-round.

July Fourth travelers in 2024 should feel leery that their flight itinerary will cost them in terms of price and airport queue congestion.

While airports will be packed, the roads won't be much better. According to AAA 2023 projections, an estimated 43.2 million people will drive to their destinations, an increase of 2.4% over 2022 and 4% higher than 2019 — and thus setting a record for the number of Americans traveling by car for the holiday.

The uptick in drivers might have something to do with gas prices. For the 2023 holiday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas has been more than $1 less over the past couple months than what it was on July 4, 2022, according to AAA.

If you are driving and are seeking to save money on gas , use gas price apps and pay with a gas credit card so you earn bonus points at gas stations.

If you're driving a car that you expect to book from a rental car agency, be prepared to pay up. The average cost of a car rental today is significantly higher than the same month in 2019 pre-pandemic, according to NerdWallet's travel price tracker , which is based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Boats and buses will be just as busy. AAA expected 3.36 million people will travel by bus, cruise, or train over the long weekend in 2023, which was 24% more than folks who used those transit methods last year.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Watch CBS News

United Airlines expecting busiest spring break on record

What is the Baltimore Key Bridge daily traffic volume/average daily traffic?

T he Francis Scott Key Bridge was a monument to modern engineering, stretching across the Baltimore Harbor and its bustling shipping channels. Its steel truss cantilever arch main spans and plate girder approach spans contributed to a total length of 8,636 feet, equivalent to 1.6 miles .

• Live updates on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

Among its notable features, the bridge boasted a continuous truss length of 2,644 feet, with the main span extending a remarkable 1 ,200 feet and the back span measuring 722 feet. This architectural marvel offered a vertical navigational clearance of 185 feet beneath its main span, ensuring unimpeded maritime traffic passage until last night.

Built to Interstate highway standards, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a vital component of the freeway system. It was explicitly designated as part of Interstate I-695, commonly known as the Baltimore Beltway. This strategic placement facilitated efficient travel and seamless connectivity for commuters and travelers alike.

The bridge spanning the Baltimore Harbor and shipping channels was a vital connection for communities and transporting goods and people across waterways. It had four lanes and a speed limit of 55 mph, ensuring smooth traffic flow while adhering to safety standards. The bridge carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually, with an average daily traffic of 31,500 vehicles. It served as a Baltimore lifeline until last night.

Baltimore Port: What impact will bridge collapse have on shipping?

PORT FEATURES

Current status of cargo ships inside port, cruise ships, london metal exchange warehouses, bunker fuel.

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Baltimore Key bridge collapse live updates: Two bodies recovered, authorities say

Investigation of Baltimore bridge collapse picks up speed as divers recover 2 bodies from water

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We’ve paused today’s live coverage, but there’s still lots to catch up on. See what you missed below and follow the AP’s latest coverage on the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse .

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday, sending vehicles plunging into the water. A recovery effort resumed Wednesday, with divers searching for six construction workers who are still unaccounted for.

Here’s what to know:

• Victims: At least eight people went into the water. Two were rescued but the other six, part of a construction crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge, are missing and presumed dead.
• Investigation: The cargo ship, called Dali, lost power and issued a mayday call shortly before it rammed the bridge. The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the vessel Wednesday to collect evidence about the exact circumstances of the crash.
• Impact: The collapse is diverting shipping and trucking around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast, creating delays and raising costs in the latest disruption to global supply chains. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says it’s too soon to say how long it will take to reopen the port or replace the bridge.

The cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse was carrying hazardous materials, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy says there are 56 containers aboard containing hazardous materials, including corrosives, flammables and lithium ion batteries. She said some containers were breached and a sheen there was a sheen in the water that will be dealt with by authorities. She said the voyage data recorder has been recovered. Homendy said the investigation could take 12 to 24 months but that the NTSB will not hesitate to issue urgent safety recommendations during that time. She said a preliminary report should be released in two to four weeks.

“It’s a massive undertaking for an investigation,” Homendy said. “It’s a very tragic event.”

Authorities have released the identities of the two people recovered from the water Wednesday morning at the site of the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler says 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera were recovered from a red pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet (7.62 meters) of water near the bridge’s middle span.

Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the construction crew who died, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks to warm up when the bridge collapsed.

Butler says it is no longer safe for divers to continue operations in the area.

“We have exhausted all search efforts in the areas around this wreckage, and based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete,” Butler said.

The ship that crashed into a bridge in Baltimore was undergoing “routine engine maintenance” in the port beforehand, the Coast Guard said.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said at a news conference on Wednesday that authorities had been informed that the ship was going to undergo routine engine maintenance before it lost power. But he said authorities were not informed of any problems.

The bodies of two people have been recovered from the site of the Baltimore bridge that collapsed into a river early Tuesday when a ship crashed into it, said Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police.

Butler said Wednesday that a 35-year-old and a 26-year-old were recovered from a red pickup truck in the Patapsco River near the mid-span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The six construction workers who were missing and presumed dead were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Butler said.

Gov. Wes Moore told the families of the victims in Spanish, “Estamos contigo, ahora y siempre” which means, “we are with you, now and always.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is getting a closer look at the aftermath of the bridge collapse in Baltimore.

The governor’s office says Moore boarded a Coast Guard ship with federal and local officials Wednesday to better understand the ship’s path and how the crash happened. His office said his goal was to support the Coast Guard and other federal partners, thank first responders and learn more about what happened.

“We will come together around Baltimore, and we will rebuild together.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the Biden administration is focused on four areas related to transportation as the investigation continues in Baltimore.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference earlier today that he didn’t know of a bridge “that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size.” Just how big is the ship?

The Dali, which was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka and flying under a Singapore flag, is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to according to data from Marine Traffic. Here’s a look at how that compares to some familiar landmarks:

Ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore has been suspended indefinitely after a cargo ship lost power and crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse on Tuesday. Authorities say it is too soon to know how long it will take to reopen the port or replace the bridge.

One of the construction workers presumed dead in Baltimore was a 38-year-old father of two who dreamed of someday returning to his native Honduras, his brother says.

Carlos Suazo says his brother, Maynor Suazo, had been in the United States for 18 years but “always dreamed of, in his old age, retiring peacefully in Honduras.” He describes him as the beloved youngest sibling among four girls and four boys.

“He was someone who was always happy, was always thinking about the future. He was a visionary,” Carlos Suazo says.

He last spoke to his brother Sunday, when they had lunch to discuss planning a family birthday party.

He says the family hasn’t lost hope his brother will be found alive.

An engineering expert says there would be no economically feasible way to protect a bridge from a large ship strike like what happened with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and he’s not even sure it would perform successfully in a similar incident. (27 March 2024)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says it’s too soon to say if regulations would be waived to rebuild the bridge and reopen the port. But he says President Joe Biden has said the federal government should “tear down any barriers, bureaucratic as well as financial” that could affect the timeline of any rebuild.

Buttigieg also had a message for Republicans in Congress who might oppose having the federal government pay for the effort. Infrastructure should be a bipartisan issue, he said at a White House news briefing.

“Today this is happening in Baltimore, tomorrow it could be their districts,” he said. “We really need to stand together, red blue and purple, to get these things done.”

The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is diverting driving and shipping around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast. Baltimore Harbor Tunnel expected to absorb traffic.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says it’s too soon to say how long it will take to reopen the Port of Baltimore or replace the destroyed bridge.

Speaking at a White House news conference, Buttigieg noted that the bridge took five years to construct.

“That does not necessarily mean it will take five years to replace,” he said.

Shown is the wreckage of Francis Scott Key Bridge as seen from Dundalk, Md., on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, Recovery efforts resumed Wednesday for the construction workers who are presumed dead after the cargo ship hit a pillar of the bridge, causing the structure to collapse. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Peter Gautier speaks about the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Gautier says hazardous materials aboard the damaged ship pose no threat to public safety.

Gautier said at a White House news briefing Wednesday that the ship is holding over 1.5 million gallons of fuel, and that more than 50 of the cargo containers on board contain hazardous material. But he says that the ship is stable and that authorities have determined there is no safety risk.

“There is no threat to the public,” he says.

Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Peter Gautier listens as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks about the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the Biden administration is focused on four areas related to transportation as the investigation continues in Baltimore.

Speaking at a White House news conference, Buttigieg said officials are focused on reopening the port, dealing with supply chain issues, rebuilding the bridge and addressing surface transportation.

“We are already taking steps toward each goal,” he said. Buttigieg said he will meet with shipping and supply chain officials Thursday.

“We are going to help to get it open as soon as possible,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says President Joe Biden has instructed his team “to move heaven and earth” to aid in the recovery and rebuilding in effort in Baltimore.

The president’s message to the city is: “We will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way,” she said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Peter Gautier, left, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, right, listen as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks about the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a total of 342 people killed, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

You’re driving along, and without warning, the roadway drops from beneath you.

There are a few seconds of falling, with thoughts possibly racing about family or loved ones, followed by a jarring impact, and most likely injury.

Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore following a ship strike brought back jarring memories of their own ordeals to people who survived previous bridge collapses.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007 picture, vehicles are scattered along the broken remains of the Interstate 35W bridge, which stretches between Minneapolis and St. Paul, after it collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour. (Stacy Bengs/The Minnesota Daily via AP)

Linda Paul, 72, survived a bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 2007. The Interstate 35W bridge collapsed without warning into the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis during the evening rush hour.

Paul was 55 then, working as a shop-at-home designer for a local company and driving home in a minivan that doubled as a “store on wheels,” loaded with fabrics and sample books. Traffic was at a total standstill, leaving her stuck on the bridge around 6 p.m.

“I remember looking around and thinking that there was definitely something wrong,” Paul said.

“I looked ahead and realized that the center section of the bridge was going down, and knew at that point that there was a good chance I would go down with it. And that is exactly what happened.”

Police later told her that she plunged down a 50-foot (15-meter) slope as the concrete deck of the bridge collapsed. She was still inside the minivan as it fell onto wreckage on the riverbank, at the water’s edge.

▶ Read the full story: What it’s like to survive a bridge collapse

Officials in Singapore say they will conduct their own investigation into the bridge collapse, in addition to supporting U.S. authorities.

The ship that struck the bridge, the Dali, was traveling under a Singaporean flag. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said Wednesday it was working with the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine Group, to get information to the U.S. Coast Guard for its investigation.

The agency also said Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau will independently investigate, not to determine liability, but to identify lessons for the future.

Today’s White House press briefing looks likely to feature an update on the situation in Baltimore: “Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will be joined by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Vice Admiral Peter Gautier, Deputy Commandant for Operations for the United States Coast Guard,” the White House said in a note to media.

The briefing is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EDT.

A 2023 inspection of the ship in a Chilean port turned up a problem with the fuel heater’s pressure gauges, but it was corrected before the ship left the port, the Maritime Authority of the Chilean Navy says.

Previous reports had indicated the June inspection of the Dali in Chile identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to the shipping information website Equasis, but the records didn’t elaborate.

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Venice on the Bay, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Chilean Navy said in a statement Wednesday that the ship had been inspected in the port of San Antonio on June 27, 2023, and that the pressure gauges of the fuel heaters “were detected to be illegible.”

The problem was corrected the same day, and the ship was able to depart, the Chilean Navy says.

The Dali was most recently inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September 2023, and no deficiencies were detected, according to Equasis.

The president of Mexico says three Mexicans were among the workers on the bridge when it collapsed.

Two of the Mexican workers are missing. The third was injured and rescued.

“He is safe now,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday.

López Obrador also highlighted the contributions migrant workers make to the U.S. economy.

“This demonstrates that migrants go out and do risky jobs at midnight, and for this reason they do not deserve to be treated as they are by certain insensitive, irresponsible politicians in the United States,” he said.

One truck has been recovered from the water, but at least one vehicle remains hanging from the metal, according to a Homeland Security memo that was described to The Associated Press by a law enforcement official.

The official was not authorized to discuss details of the document or the investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

Gov. Wes Moore on Wednesday praised divers who have spent hours in frigid water.

“They are down there in darkness where they can literally see about a foot in front of them,” he said. “They are trying to navigate mangled metal and they’re also in a place it is now presumed that people have lost their lives, so the work of these first responders, the work of these divers, I cannot stress enough how remarkable these individuals are.”

Maryland lawmakers are drafting emergency legislation to help workers affected by the bridge collapse.

State Sen. Bill Ferguson said he and a fellow Democratic lawmaker, Del. Luke Clippinger, are proposing income replacement for the thousands of workers who rely on daily operations at the Port of Baltimore. He said he spent hours Tuesday talking to dock workers, business owners and others.

“The human cost of lives lost yesterday is overwhelming and tragic,” Ferguson posted Wednesday on X. “The economic and stability loss to the thousands impacted in the days ahead cannot be understated.”

Maryland Governor Wes Moore is highlighting the importance of the collapsed of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to the U.S. economy and says it is “imperative” to get the port of Baltimore up and running as quickly as possible

People pray for officials including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, center, during a vigil near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Dundalk, Md., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Among the six missing and presumed dead after the bridge collapse are people from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries.

Guatemala’s consulate in Maryland confirmed that two of the missing were Guatemalan citizens working on the bridge. Mexico’s Washington consulate also confirmed in a statement posted on X that Mexican citizens were among the missing but did not say how many.

The Honduran man was identified as Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval by the deputy foreign affairs minister of Honduras.

Father Ako Walker, a Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said outside a vigil that he spent time with the families of the workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.

“You can see the pain etched on their faces,” Walker said.

Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, speaks in Dundalk, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A retired Coast Guard officer says he expects the focus in Baltimore to shift soon to two main objectives: investigating what happened and reopening the channel as quickly and safely as possible.

Aaron Davenport, a senior researcher with the RAND Corporation, isn’t involved in the aftermath of the bridge collapse, but he described what he expects to happen based on his Coast Guard experience.

Divers and remote equipment likely will be used to survey debris on the channel floor both as part of the investigation and in preparation for clearing the channel, he says. Heavy-duty barges and cranes will be needed for the salvage operations. Officials also will need to assess damage to the ship.

“We have this big, giant ship. You don’t want the ship to sink. You don’t want it to leak fuel oil all over the port,” he says.

Eventually the ship would likely be towed back to port and the cargo offloaded. Davenport says the ship’s owners are responsible for getting the ship out and the damage to the bridge.

However, they have to submit plans to stakeholders, and the federal government can take over if they don’t take prompt and effective action.

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge near sunrise on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy says investigators expect to have more information Wednesday on the timeline of events after information from a ship data recorder was sent to an agency lab.

Homendy says in an interview with WBAL-TV that the U.S. Coast Guard boarded the vessel Tuesday and downloaded the voyage data recorder. It has been sent to the NTSB’s lab, and she says they expect to have information Wednesday on the timeline.

If the weather allows, Homendy says, investigators will board the ship to look for electronics and documentation. Their focus will be on collecting evidence.

It was the middle of the night when a dispatcher’s warning crackled over the radio: A massive cargo ship had lost its steering capabilities and was heading toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge .

Within about 90 seconds, police officers responded that they had managed to stop vehicle traffic over the Baltimore bridge in both directions. One said he was about to drive onto the bridge to alert a construction crew.

But it was too late. Powerless and laden with huge containers, the vessel smashed into a support pillar .

“The whole bridge just fell down,” a frantic officer said. “Start, start whoever, everybody ... the whole bridge just collapsed.”

Bridge Collapse-First Responders.mp3

▶ Read more: What we know about the moments before the bridge’s collapse.

A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers are searching for survivors.

Recovery efforts have resumed at the collapse site.

Divers returned to the site early Wednesday after challenging overnight conditions improved. Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said in a text message that “recovery efforts are underway.”

The six people unaccounted for and presumed dead were part of a construction crew repairing potholes on the bridge.

Recovery efforts are planned to resume Wednesday morning at the collapse site.

The search-and-rescue mission is transitioning to one of search and recovery, officials announced Tuesday night.

Divers are expected to return to the site early Wednesday when challenging overnight conditions improve.

Authorities say all six workers missing after a Baltimore bridge collapsed Tuesday are presumed dead and the search for them has been suspended until Wednesday morning.

Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, said Tuesday evening that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He says divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday when challenging overnight conditions were expected to improve.

Sunrise shows damage to Baltimore bridge after being rammed by container ship

The head of a trade association for maritime pilots says the pilot of the ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse tried to slow it down before the crash.

Clay Diamond, executive director of the American Pilots’ Association, said he has been in close contact with officials from the Association of Maryland Pilots who described to him what happened as the ship approached the bridge. He said when the ship was a few minutes out, it lost all power, including to its engines.

The pilot immediately ordered the rudder hard to port to keep the ship from turning right and ordered the port anchor be dropped, which it was, Diamond said. The pilot also contacted a dispatch office to get the bridge shut down.

Diamond said widely circulated images show the ship’s lights turning off and then back on, sparking questions about whether the vessel had regained power. But, he said, the emergency generators that kicked in turned the lights back on but not the ship’s propulsion.

Every foreign-flagged ship coming into U.S. waters must have a state-licensed pilot on board. Pilots board the ships before they enter the local waterways and take “navigational control” of the ship, he said, meaning they give orders for the ship’s speed and direction. “These are among the most highly trained mariners in the world,” Diamond said.

The stunning collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is diverting shipping and trucking around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast, creating delays and raising costs in the latest disruption to global supply chains.

After the container ship Dali hit the bridge and brought it down early Tuesday , ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore was suspended indefinitely. That will require rerouting vessels or their cargo to other ports, potentially causing congestion and delays for importers, said Judah Levine, head of research for the global freight booking platform Freightos.

“Aside from the obvious tragedy, this incident will have significant and long-lasting impacts on the region,” American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail said, calling Key Bridge and Baltimore’s port “critical components’’ of the nation’s infrastructure.

Gail noted that 1.3 million trucks cross the bridge every year — 3,600 a day. Trucks that carry hazardous materials will now have to make 30 miles of detours around Baltimore because they are prohibited from using the city’s tunnels, she said, adding to delays and increasing fuel costs.

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the path to rebuilding the collapsed Baltimore bridge won’t be easy or quick.

“This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure,” he said at a news conference in Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon. “It has been part of the skyline for this region for longer than many of us have been alive.”

Buttigieg thanked first responders, including those still in the water as he spoke, and offered comfort to those “who woke up today to the news that no one wants to receive.”

“This is an excruciating day for several families,” he said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he’s spent time with the families of victims. “The strength of these families is absolutely remarkable,” he said.

One person involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse has been discharged from the hospital, an official with the medical center said.

Dr. David Efron, the chief of trauma at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, did not comment on the nature or severity of the patient’s injuries. The hospital has not released the patient’s name.

Correction: This post has been updated to correct that just one patient was treated at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in connection with the bridge collapse, not two.

A fellow construction company employee says he was told his missing co-workers were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks when a Baltimore bridge collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a container ship.

Brawner Builders employee Jesus Campos says he learned about the disaster from a co-worker and immediately worried about colleagues he knew were working on the bridge.

“When he told me that, they came to mind and I was praying to God that nothing had happened to them,” Campos said, speaking in Spanish.

“It is so hard for me to describe. I know that a month ago I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass. Imagine knowing that it is falling. It is so hard, one would not know what to do,” Campos said.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Maxaar Technologies via AP)

A senior executive the company that employed the construction workers said six of the company’s workers are presumed to be dead and one worker was hospitalized.

Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge’s span when the crash happened and crumbled the bridge.

The bodies of the workers have not yet been recovered, but they are presumed to have died given the water’s depth and the amount of time that has passed since the crash, he said.

“This was so completely unforeseen,” he said. “We don’t know what else to say.”

“We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers,” he added. “But we never foresaw that the bridge would collapse.”

Two men observe the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage from Ft. McHenry, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner via AP)

Radio traffic obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive indicates officers were just about to alert a construction crew when a major bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by a container ship that had lost power.

The Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic includes a dispatcher putting out a call saying a ship had lost its steering ability and asking officers to stop all traffic. It took officers less than two minutes to stop traffic on the bridge.

One officer who had stopped traffic radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to notify the construction crew once a second officer arrived. But seconds later, a frantic officer radioed that the bridge had collapsed.

The six people still unaccounted for were part of the construction crew, which was filling potholes on the bridge.

Paul J. Wiedefeld, center, Maryland’s transportation secretary, walks near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

The head of a supply chain management company says Americans should expect shortages of goods as the Baltimore bridge collapse affects ocean container shipping and East Coast trucking logistics.

“It’s not just the port of Baltimore that’s going to be impacted,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport.

Petersen says attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea connecting Asia with Europe and the United States have forced traffic away from the Suez Canal and around the tip of Africa. At the same time, there’s been increased congestion in the Panama Canal. Petersen says U.S. importers are increasingly shifting to West Coast ports which in turn may have their own back-ups.

“You get this vicious feedback loop,” he said.

Petersen was working with his team Tuesday to reroute about 800 shipping containers currently making their way to Baltimore’s port.

“It’s a scramble because each of those containers has now a new journey to clear customs, you’ve got to get a different truck to pick it up at a different port, it creates a whole lot of downstream work,” he said.

Inspectors in June found a problem with the machinery of the same ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse early Tuesday.

But according to the shipping information system Equasis, a more recent examination of the ship, called the Dali, didn’t identify any deficiencies.

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Dundalk, Md. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Dali, owned by Grace Ocean PTE, has been inspected at least 27 times at ports around the world since it was built in 2015. An inspection at a port in Chile in June identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.

The most recent inspection listed for the Dali was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York on Sept. 13, 2023. According to the Equasis data, the “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies.

A July 2016 inspection in Belgium determined hull damage had impaired the Dali’s seaworthiness after it struck berth used for mooring vessels at the Port of Antwerp.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he plans to travel to Baltimore “as quickly as I can” and that he plans for the federal government to pick up the entire cost of reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier in the day after a container ship lost power and struck it.

“We’re going to rebuild that port together,” Biden said in brief remarks from the White House, shortly before departing for North Carolina.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse at the White House. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The president said he expects lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support his bid to ensure the U.S. government pays for rebuilding the bridge.

“This is going to take some time,” Biden said. “The people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.”

Biden’s expected challenger in the presidential race this year, Republican Donald Trump, as of midday Tuesday has not commented publicly on the bridge collapse.

Boats move near a container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Authorities are piecing together what led to the bridge collapse in Baltimore. But so far, we know that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said a large cargo ship lost power and issued a mayday call moments before it struck the bridge early Tuesday, though it was still moving toward the span at a rapid speed.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge broke apart and tumbled into the Patapsco River. Two people were rescued. But officials say they haven’t been able to account for six others.

The Baltimore Orioles have canceled a workout and rally for fans that had been planned for Tuesday night.

The event at Oriole Park at Camden Yards was part of the leadup to Thursday’s Opening Day, when the team will host the Los Angeles Angels. Instead, the team said, the event was canceled in light of the bridge collapse.

“Baltimore, we’re a tight-knit and resilient community,” the team posted on X. “Together we will get through this.”

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with one of the bridge’s support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (WJLA via AP)

A major bridge that collapsed in Baltimore after getting hit by a ship is named for Francis Scott Key, who turned a wartime experience in the early 19th century into the poem that became the national anthem of the United States.

During the War of 1812 between the United States and the British, Key was on a ship to negotiate an American prisoner’s release and witnessed a 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry. He saw that the American flag stayed up through the hours of darkness and was still at the top of the fort when the morning came. He turned it into a poem.

▶ Read more about Key and the national anthem

The bridge did not appear to have pier protection to withstand the cargo ship crash, according to a professor of civil and environmental engineering.

Professor Roberto Leon, of Virginia Tech, said he reviewed the video of the crash Tuesday.

“If a bridge pier without adequate protection is hit by a ship of this size, there is very little that the bridge could do,” Leon said.

Maryland recently retrofitted another bridge with pier protection devices for about $100 million, he said.

It’s expensive, but the price would pale in comparison with expected losses from the damaged bridge, including additional miles driven, fuel and business costs, he said.

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday, sending vehicles plunging into the water.

Donald Heinbuch, a retired fire chief for Baltimore, said he was startled awake by a deep rumbling that shook his house for several seconds.

“It felt like an earthquake,” he said. “Or like rolling thunder.”

Heinbuch turned on his police scanner and discovered the noise had come from the nearby bridge, a favored fishing spot that he’d driven over countless times. He said he rushed to the scene in shock.

“The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water, like it was blown up,” he said.

Heinbuch said he watched divers slip into their gear and coordinate a rescue plan as pontoon boats made their way to shore. Several departments also offered help, he said.

“All these little things that we practiced all the time had to be put in place,” Heinbuch said. “Everyone acted fast ... even as the significance of what had happened was still sinking in.”

The most recent federal data shows the bridge was rated as being in fair condition overall before the crash.

The Federal Highway Administration rates bridges on the condition of their individual components. In a national bridge inventory released in June, inspectors rated the Key Bridge’s deck, substructure and superstructure — or the component that absorbs the live traffic load — as satisfactory.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with one of the bridge’s supports Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (WJLA via AP)

The bridge carried an estimated 30,800 vehicles a day on average in 2019. According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, that translates to about 11.3 million vehicles a year across the bridge, which was built in the 1970s and was 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) long.

The president is expected to speak at 12 p.m. EDT. Follow his remarks live:

A bystander looks at the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Synergy Marine, which operated the ship that hit the bridge , and the ship’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, have been sued at least four times in U.S. federal court on allegations of negligence and other claims tied to worker injuries on other ships owned and operated by the Singapore-based companies.

One lawsuit, in 2019, involved a man from Oregon who broke several bones when a rope ladder he was using to board a refrigerated cargo vessel snapped, sending him 25 feet to the ground.

Also that year, a Texas worker was injured when a hatch on the same ship, the M/V Star Leader, was prematurely opened without warning by a ship’s crew member.

In 2021, a longshoreman in Savannah, Georgia, sued Synergy when he tumbled 5 feet on a gangway whose handrail collapsed, injuring his back and shoulder.

All three lawsuits were settled out of court.

A fourth case, involving a worker at the port of Houston who was pinned underneath a stack of metal pipes he was trying to remove, was dismissed.

The top federal prosecutor in Maryland says there is no evidence linking the bridge collapse to terrorism.

U.S. Attorney Erek Barron said his office will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local officials to provide support.

The White House says Biden met with senior officials about the bridge collapse Tuesday morning and will continue to receive updates. Members of his administration are staying in close contact with state and local officials.

A container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Dundalk, Md. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Six people remain unaccounted for after the bridge collapse, and all are believed to have been working on it at the time, officials said.

The construction workers were repairing potholes, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said at a news conference Tuesday.

Gov. Wes Moore said he was thankful that after the cargo ship’s distress call, authorities were able to stop cars from going over the bridge.

“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, left, speaks during a news conference as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) looks on near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says the cargo ship reported losing power just before it crashed and caused the bridge to collapse.

Moore said Tuesday that a mayday call from the ship allowed officials to limit traffic on the bridge before the crash.

A preliminary investigation suggests that the crash was an accident, and that there’s no credible evidence of a terrorist attack, Moore, a Democrat, said at a news conference near the collapsed bridge.

“This morning, our state is in shock,” he said.

“We are Maryland tough and we are Baltimore strong,” Moore said. “So in the face of heartbreak, we come together.”

The Singapore-flagged Dali was built in 2015 and has been managed almost from its launch by Synergy Marine, which is also based in Singapore and manages a fleet of a more than 600 container ships, cargo vessels, oil tankers and other vessels.

The shipping industry is plagued by safety concerns and often shoddy oversight. But the Dali was last inspected in September 2023 in New York, and no deficiencies were reported at the time.

The mayor of Baltimore has declared a state of emergency in response to the bridge collapse.

Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, issued an executive order Tuesday morning to deploy and expand emergency resources. The state of emergency will remain in place for 30 days and is subject to renewal or cancellation as conditions warrant.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with one of the bridge’s supports, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is launching a team to investigate the bridge collapse and will hold a media briefing later Tuesday.

Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, who is from the area, says the bridge plays a vital role in not only transportation, but also commerce.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” said Salling, a Republican.

Highway signs as far south as Virginia are warning drivers of delays associated with the closure of the bridge.

Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship, called the Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.

It said all crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.

As the sun rose Tuesday, jagged remnants of the bridge were illuminated jutting up from the waters surface. The on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.

Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board.

The collapse caused Maersk share at the Nasdaq Copenhagen to plummet 2% in early Tuesday trading.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (WJLA via AP)

From 1960 to 2015, there have been 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

Eighteen of those collapses happened in the United States. Here’s a few notable ones:

BIG BAYOU CANOT: 47 DEAD

Sept. 22, 1993: Barges being pushed by a towboat in dense fog hit and displaced the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge near Mobile, Alabama. Minutes later, an Amtrak train with 220 people aboard reached the displaced bridge and derailed, killing 47 people and injuring 103 people.

SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE: 35 DEAD

May 9, 1980: The 609-foot freighter Summit Venture was navigating through the narrow, winding shipping channel of Florida’s Tampa Bay when a sudden, blinding squall knocked out the ship’s radar. The ship sheared off a support of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, dropping a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway during the morning rush hour. Seven vehicles, including a bus with 26 aboard, fell 150 feet into the water. Thirty-five people died.

Traffic streams over the rebuilt Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla.. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

EADS BRIDGE: 50 INJURED

April 14, 1998: The Anne Holly tow traveling through the St. Louis Harbor rammed into the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away. Three of them hit a permanently moored gambling vessel below the bridge. Fifty people suffered minor injuries.

▶ Read more: A list of major bridge collapses caused by ship or barge collisions

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she reached out to Moore and offered any assistance New York can provide. Hochul said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that New York’s harbor “stands ready to assist, any way we can continue the flow of commerce so it’s not disrupted.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference regarding the proliferation of illegal cannabis stores, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in New York. 
(AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

President Joe Biden walks to his motorcade after departing Air Force One, Wednesday March 20, 2024, on arrival at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The President has been briefed on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the ongoing search and rescue efforts. He will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the day.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is also on site at the bridge, per the governor’s spokesman.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the FBI was on scene, but terrorism is not suspected. “It’s an open investigation but there’s nothing that points to that in any direction,” he said.

Wiedefeld said there was a crew working on the bridge doing “concrete deck repair” at the time of the collapse. He said officials are investigating how many workers were there.

In the meantime, vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice, but the port is still open for trucks, he said.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (WJLA via AP)

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is shown early morning, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 from Riviera Beach, Md. A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)

In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.

Synergy Marine Group — which manages the ship called the Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.

It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.

The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to the website.

Correction: This post has been corrected to show that Grace Ocean Private owns the ship, not Synergy Marine Group.

The temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.

He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.

Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace says two people were pulled from the water after the bridge collapse.

He said one was in serious condition and the other was not seriously injured.

Wallace said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but he said that number could change.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.

“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

But Cartwright also said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”

He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.

A vessel by that name was headed from Baltimore to Colombo , Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder.

The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.