Chicago Drivers and airline passengers without reindeer and sleighs better make a dash for it: it’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel in the U.S.
More than 3 million passengers are expected to travel through Chicago's O'Hare and Midway International Airports through Jan. 2, the Chicago Department of Aviation said, with Monday expected to be the busiest day at O'Hare.
Airlines project O'Hare will see 243,000 passengers pass through the airport Monday, the CDA said. According to officials, that's a seven percent increase over the busiest holiday travel day in 2023. Photos and video from the airport early Monday morning showed lines at security and ticket counters already backing up.
The CDA projects Sunday, Dec. 29 to be the busiest day at Midway, when more than 51,000 people will pass through the airport.
Flight traffic is expected to be light on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The slowest U.S. air-travel day this year — by a wide margin — was Thanksgiving Day.
Nationally, the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2.
Heavy holiday traffic on Chicago roads expected
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The auto club AAA predicts that more than 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home through New Year’s Day, which would top the previous holiday-season high set in 2019.
According to AAA, the heaviest holiday traffic day for Chicago has already passed, as Sunday, Dec. 22 was predicted to be the day with the most cars on the road. Still, transportation data company INRIX recommends drivers avoid traveling during peak commuting hours the holiday week.
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"If schedules allow, leave bright and early or after the evening commute," INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue said in a release.
According to INRIX, the worst time to travel by car in the U.S. Monday will be between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Minimal traffic is expected on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, INRIX said.
Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average last week was $3.05 a gallon, down from $3.08 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state.
Weather and other wildcards
Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions.
That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights.
This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them.
Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline yourself tends to be very expensive.
“When they rebook you, they will pay for the fare difference. If my flight to visit grandma that I booked six months ago for $200 gets canceled, and I turn around and book a flight four hours from now for $400, I have to pay that difference,” said Sally French, a travel expert at consumer-affairs company Nerdwallet.
People traveling on budget airlines with fewer flights and no partnerships with other carriers may face a difficult choice in the event of a canceled flight.
“They will put you on the next outgoing Spirit or Frontier flight, but that could be a while from now. Sometimes waiting three days for that next flight is not going to work for you,” and paying more to rebook on a big airline might be worthwhile, French said.
Some airlines are taking advantage of a provision in the new Transportation Department rule that defined a significant delay as three hours for a domestic flight and six hours for an international flight. According to Brett Snyder, who runs the Cranky Flyer website, airlines that previously issued refunds for shorter delays — Delta, United and JetBlue, for example — are now using the government standard.
Delayed flights increase the risk that bags will get lost. Passengers who get separated from their bags should report it to the airline and ask what the airline will cover. More information about how to get reimbursed for delayed or canceled flights can be found here.
