Americans are buckling down for what's turning out to be an incredibly stressful week for travel as flights are delayed and canceled amid a record-breaking Fourth of July travel season.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) compiled statistics for travel this year, weighing the number of flyers and those traveling by car at least 50 miles or more against statistics from previous years.
The organization determined that about 70.9 million people will travel over what it referred to as "the Independence Day holiday travel period," which spans from Saturday, June 29, through Sunday, July 7. That's 5% more than in 2023 over the same period, and it's an 8% increase from 2019.
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"With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day," Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said, according to a press release. "We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019."
Over the week, the organization predicts that at least 60.9 million people will travel over 50 miles by car — an additional 2.8 million travelers compared to 2023 and over 5 million more than in 2019.
Airports are now buckling down for what could be a record number of passengers this week traveling for the occasion — the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that 2.99 million passengers went through U.S. airports in a single day last week, breaking the record for the most passengers to pass through screening checkpoints in one day. And more are expected this week.
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Gerardo Spero, the TSA's federal security director for hte Philadelphia International Airport, said in a news release that the airport is dealing with an 8% increase in passengers compared to last year as he cautioned travelers to give themselves extra time to get through security and make their flights.
He said, according to the release, "The best advice that I can offer is to get to the airport well before your ticketed departure time. Now more than ever it is vital to give yourself plenty of time to park or return a rental car, check in with your airline to check bags and prepare for the security checkpoint."
Passengers can help each other out, too, he said, by being more "efficient" in TSA lines, including by taking off their shoes and belts before they reach the station, emptying their pockets into their carry-on luggage and grabbing a bin early to fill with their things before they reach the conveyor belts.
Greg Hawko, TSA's Federal Security Director for Washington state, said in another news release , "We are asking travelers to be good partners with TSA and ensure that they are prepared for the screening process. Please don't bring prohibited items in your carry-on luggage."
He said that bringing such items to Seattle-Tacoma's International Airport, where statistics show a 5% increase in travelers, can delay the TSA screening process and hold up other flyers.
The busiest days will reportedly be July 3, 7 and 8, Hopper, a flight website, stated, and the airports slated to experience the highest volume of travelers are Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver.
As far as driving is concerned, AAA recommends that drivers hoping to beat intense traffic drive early, leaving for their destinations on Monday, if they can, and if not, leaving before 10 a.m. on the other days. Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, a transportation data provider, said in a statement to NPR, "Drivers in large metro areas can expect the worst traffic delays on Wednesday, July 3, as they leave town, and Sunday, July 7, as they return. Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67% longer than normal."
Cancellations of flights will inevitably result in a refund to the passenger, but delays are a bit more complicated. Generally, the new rule is that delays of over three hours domestically or over six hours internationally become required refunds.
A press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation reads, "Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability."
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