Why You'll Need to Pack Your Patience If You're Flying This Week

The holiday travel season usually peaks right before Christmas, and there’s generally a little bit of a slowdown right after, but this year, things are different.

Orlando International Airport

We previously reported that 122.4 million Americans will be traveling for the holiday season this year, so it’s no secret that airports are going to be crowded. Well, you might think that the days after the official holiday season would be a little slower, but according to CBS News, they are not. Plus, winter weather could make things even more chaotic.

In Dallas, American Airlines is expecting its busiest day at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to be on January 2nd with 890 flights on its schedule. However, the weather could make things even more hectic over the next week or so, so there could also be significant travel delays.

American Airlines

Although you can expect airports to be busy from now through January 2nd, the second busiest day for air travel will be on January 4th, with American Airlines having over 600 flights scheduled for that day. So if you’re flying between now and then, you’ll want to be prepared. First, you’ll want to arrive at the airport early to give yourself plenty of time to check bags, get through security, and get to your gate.

Security at MCO

You will also want to use TSA PreCheck if you have it, and if you don’t, you might want to consider signing up for $85 per person. At the moment, if you enroll with a family member, that second person can get $15 off the enrollment fee. If your airport has something like MCO Reserve, which is available at Orlando International Airport, you may want to take advantage of that.

©Orlando International Airport

You have far less control, though, over the weather. As of Saturday, December 27th, over 300 flights are currently delayed at Orlando International Airport, with over 3,000 delays happening across the U.S. You’ll want to make sure you have a way for your airline to notify you of delays, so be sure to turn on notifications in the airline’s app and sign up for text messages with updates.

Orlando International Airport

So be sure to pack your patience with you if you’re traveling this holiday season because you just might need it. We’ll keep an eye on things and keep you updated.

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Are you flying this holiday season? How do you deal with crowds and delays? Let us know in the comments!