Travelers, get ready for the holiday rush and crunch. Christmas holiday travel season is in full swing. Around 115 million Americans are expected to hit the roads and airports in the next few days to visit friends and family for the holidays, according to AAA.
That includes thousands of people coming and going from the Quad Cities International Airport.
QCIA leaders say they expect busy holiday travel in the Quad Cities.
“The airport doesn’t receive advance booking numbers, but we can make some inferences based on travel trends from the preceding months in terms of load factors” or percentage of seats sold on any given aircraft, Ashleigh Davis, public relations and marketing manager for the airport, said in an email to the QCBJ.
“We can access historic numbers, however. Last year, between Dec. 23 – Dec. 26, the airport saw around 3,200 passengers.”
Airport leaders predict the holiday travel numbers will be better than last year on the local front because of one big factor, Ms. Davis said: The Quad Cities now has flights to Charlotte, North Carolina., which started late Thursday afternoon, Dec. 20.
That’s an important new feature for the local airport because now passengers can leave Moline, fly to Charlotte and get connections to many other destinations.
Charlotte has an impact
According to information from the Charlotte airport: “Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is ranked among the world’s busiest airports, offering nonstop service to 180 destinations. CLT is home to eight major carriers, 15 regional carriers and three foreign flag carriers. In 2022, nearly 48 million passengers traveled to, from and through CLT.”
Benjamin Leischner, QCIA executive director, told the QCBJ this week that he expects this to be a busy travel season at the Moline airport he leads. However, he also has a message for airline carriers: The QC airport can take on more passengers, more flights and more destinations.
“I think the sentiment with everybody these days is this: travel is back. … and there is a high demand for these services in this market,” he added.
Even though this is the busy season for many passengers at the local airport, at least some said they enjoy the relative calm and lack of chaos at the Quad Cities International Airport. On Wednesday, Robert Shorb was waiting for a flight home to Orlando, Florida, so he could be home for the holidays.
“This airport is not bad at all. I’ve been sitting here since 11 a.m. and there have just been three rushes of people going by me,” he said at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. “That’s not bad when you look at some of the other busy airports across the country.”
Holiday travel numbers are expected to be higher in just about every corner of the country this season.
Holiday travel on the rise
AAA projects 115.2 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day year-end holiday travel period. This year’s total number of domestic travelers is a 2.2% increase over last year and the second highest year-end travel forecast since 2000, when AAA began tracking holiday travel. 2019 remains the busiest Christmas and New Year’s travel period on record with 119 million travelers
“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,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “More Americans are investing in travel, despite the cost, to make memories with loved ones and experience new places.”
Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been over the Christmas and New Year’s travel period.
AAA projected 7.5 million air travelers this holiday season, surpassing 2019’s record of 7.3 million passengers. Average ticket prices are slightly lower than last year. According to AAA booking data, the average price for a roundtrip ticket to Orlando this holiday season is $613, down from $735 last year. A roundtrip ticket to Las Vegas is $508 now compared to $705 in 2022.
“It depends on your desired route and destination. There are last-minute deals to be found, but if your preference is a nonstop flight with seat selection, AAA recommends booking well in advance and protecting your investment with travel insurance,” Ms. Twidale added.
All travel modes impacted
The number of people traveling by other modes, like bus, train, and cruise, LAO is projected to surpass 2019. AAA expects more than 4 million Americans will take alternative transportation over Christmas and New Year’s compared to 3.66 million in 2022 and 3.89 million in 2019. Demand for cruises has skyrocketed post-pandemic, and the industry has been preparing for the wave of bookings that traditionally happens at the start of the new year. “Savvy travelers know that right after the holidays is the best time to book a cruise,” Twidale said. “That’s when cruise lines offer some of the best deals, and AAA members get exclusive benefits in addition to those discounts.”
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says there will be several days of potentially bad traffic during the 10-day holiday period. Saturday, Dec. 23, and Thursday, Dec. 28, will be the most congested days on the road. INRIX also says Saturday, Dec. 30, when many people will be heading back home from their holiday destinations or traveling for New Year’s Eve, will see an increase in traffic compared to a normal Saturday. The best times to hit the road are before lunchtime or after 7 p.m.
“Nationwide, drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer this holiday season. In major metros, especially in Denver, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C., drivers could experience nearly double the typical delays,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Avoid peak commuting hours and use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services to minimize holiday travel traffic frustrations.”
Holiday travel by the numbers
Here are some of the travel numbers predicted by the AAA and other sources:
- AAA predicts this holiday season will be the busiest ever for air travel, with 7.5 million people projected to fly from Saturday, Dec. 23 to Monday, Jan. 1. This would break the record high of 7.3 million flyers set during the 2019 holiday season.
- Thursday, Dec. 21, and Friday, Dec. 22 are forecast to be the busiest days for departures, according to Hopper.
- Domestic airfares are averaging $349 round trip — a 3% increase from last year, according to Hopper.
- United Airlines said it expects its busiest-ever holiday travel season, with about 9 million passengers planning to fly from Dec. 21 to Jan. 8. This is a 12% jump from last year. United said it anticipates Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 will be its busiest days for Christmas travel, while Jan. 2 will be the busiest day for New Year’s travel.
- Delta Air Lines is preparing for nearly 9 million customers during its holiday travel period, which runs from Dec. 21 to Jan. 7. Delta said its peak days are expected to be Dec. 21 to Dec. 22 and Dec. 26 to Dec. 30.
