The December holiday season is rarely easy for travelers, but this year could prove particularly risky. Airlines are still short of pilots and planes, and passenger traffic is expected to nearly reach pre-pandemic levels.
The Transportation Security Administration screened 2.5 million passengers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving this year — the most in a single November day since 2019. And data from Hopper, a travel booking platform, suggests that 18% more passengers could depart from domestic airports from Dec. 18 to Dec. 26 this year than last year.
Combine growing demand with struggling supply, add a hint of the usual wintry weather, and what do you have? A frothy cup of holiday travel mayhem. Yet savvy travelers can still avoid the worst disruptions.
Here’s how.
If you are already booked: Fly like a pro
If you’re like most travelers, you’ve already booked your trip, which means avoiding disruption headaches is more about preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
You can probably still add travel insurance. Usually you you do not have to purchase certain types of travel insurance when making your reservations, which means you can always add protection for things like weather disruptions or healthcare costs. Avoid checked baggage if you can. Getting you and potentially your family from point A to point B is hard enough, and checked baggage provides an additional point of failure. Can you ship these gifts instead of bringing them in a suitcase? Check your flight status before you leave home. Yes, it’s a basic step, but it can be easy to forget about it in the rush to get out. Airlines are pretty good at proactively notifying customers of delays these days, but it’s always worth checking. Pack for disturbances. Extra food, a pillow, and warm, comfortable clothes can go a long way if you find yourself stuck at the airport for hours.
You don’t have to go into full prep mode, packing enough freeze-dried food to survive a zombie apocalypse at LAX. But it may be wise to assume that at least one leg of a return flight will experience a hiccup during peak dates. Prepare accordingly.
If you waited until the last minute: book wisely
Have you waited until now to book? You may not have many affordable flight options left, but there are still some guidelines to follow to avoid disruption.
Book direct flights when possible. The more waypoints a route has, the more points it can be messed up. Choose a reliable airline. A recent analysis by NerdWallet found that Hawaiian, Delta, and Alaska airlines had the best overall operating rating, while Frontier, Spirit, and JetBlue had the worst. Avoid layovers in winter cities. You have the choice to go through Denver or Dallas? In December, it might be a good idea to opt for warmer stopover airports. And check the forecast.
Struggling to find an affordable option at the last minute? Consider using points and mileswhich can offer outsized value when cash fares are high.
Holiday trip or not: avoid the queues
Nothing says Yuletide season better than long, winding security lines at the airport. These queues can offer more than a hassle – they can be the difference between a smooth trip and a missed flight. Still most of the worst queues on a trip can be avoided these days.
Clear, a private membership service, lets you skip the longest part of the line using biometrics like fingerprints. It’s not cheap, but the cost can be significantly reduced with some credit card perks and other discounts. It may be too late to sign up for TSA PreCheck this year, but it’s not too late to renew your membership if it has expired. Many car rental programs offer free ways to skip the lines and pick up your car directly. Signing up for their rewards program usually unlocks this feature, which can be especially quick during the holidays. It’s been possible for a while to check out of hotels without waiting in line, but now apps and elite status perks are also making it easier to check in without the wait.
If you can’t skip the lines, be sure to budget for them in your schedule. Give yourself at least an extra 45 minutes to clear security, especially when traveling during peak hours at busy airports. Hopper listed the airports that are expected to be busiest, along with their peak times of day.
AirportExpected Passenger TrafficBustiest time to flyAtlanta (ATL)1,739,502.8am-12am a.m. to 12 p.m.Los Angeles (LAX)1 064 324. Morning 8 a.m. to noon Las Vegas (LAS) 944 238. Early afternoon 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Orlando (MCO) 930 859. Evening 4 p.m. (ORD)901 922.Evening 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.Phoenix (PHX).878 756.A.M. 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.New York City (JFK)848 475.Evening 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Stay (relatively) calm
Taking the steps you can, like minimizing checked baggage and giving yourself plenty of time to get through security, can help avoid many of the worst aspects of holiday travel chaos. But you can’t do much.
Almost all disruptions in air travel are caused by something totally beyond the passenger’s control, whether it’s the weather or cascading airline cancellations. Keeping this in mind can help reduce some of the stress if and when things go wrong.
Plus, once you’re finally settled in with your family, you might consider your time stuck on the tarmac a period of relative calm.
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Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @samsambutdif.
The article Holiday Travel Chaos is Coming: How to Handle It originally appeared on NerdWallet.
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