Airports, highways, beaches and theme parks are expected to be packed across the U.S. this Labor Day weekend as a lot Americans mark the unofficial end of summer the same way they celebrated the season’s unofficial start: by traveling.
After what's already been a record-breaking summer for air travel, the Transportation Security Administration predicted its agents would screen more than 17 million people during a holiday period that started Thursday and runs through next Wednesday, about 8% more than last year.
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The TSA anticipates Friday being the busiest day. In a sign the summer travel season really is winding down, however, the agency said that fewer than 2 million passengers passed through airport security checkpoints one day this week — the first time that has happened since early March.
If you plan to be part of the crowds heading out of town to enjoy one last blast of summer, here is a rundown of what you need to know.
How is holiday travel going so far?
Busy, as expected, and flight delays were common.
Airlines had canceled more than 200 U.S. flights as of late afternoon on the East Coast, a modest number by current standards. However, more than 4,500 other flights were delayed, led by Southwest and American, according to tracking service FlightAware.
Plenty of people appeared to have heeded experts' advice to get away as early as possible on Friday.
Lines of cars and passengers appeared at Los Angeles International Airport before the sun was up. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was buzzing early but slowed by midmorning, and parking spaces were still available.
Why travel over a holiday weekend?
Boston resident Dani Fleming flew across the country to visit her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. She got to the airport at 4:30 a.m. for her departing flight and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the lines moved both there and at San Francisco International Airport.
“The flight was easy. (I) napped for a little bit, watched movies,” Fleming said. “This was a breeze.”
Benjamin Schmeiser and his wife and 16-year-old daughter planned to fly from Chicago to San Diego to attend a concert of 1970s rock bands. It was the family's first flight together since COVID-19 hit.
“We have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time, and I’m happy that we can get the whole family in on the trip," Schmeiser said while waiting at O’Hare International Airport. “A lot of us are huge live music fans, and we love sports. Now that travel is open, it’s much more affordable, we’re able to travel a lot more.”
Where are the potential trouble spots?
Weather is the leading cause of flight delays. Forecasts call for rain and maybe scattered thunderstorms from Texas to New England plus parts of Florida over the weekend, spreading over more of the Southeast on Monday.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was still working to restore all services after what airport officials described as a possible cyberattack last weekend. Flights have been running normally all week, but the airport told passengers to arrive extra early and to avoid checking bags, especially on smaller airlines, because of problems with the bag-sorting system.
Michael Novick got to SeaTac 30 minutes earlier than usual and checked three bags for his American Airlines flight to Dallas on Friday. “I was a little concerned about what things might look like, but it was absolutely seamless,” he said. “It was a normal day.”
The only thing out of the ordinary: gate agents checked boarding passes manually, Novick said.
What are prices like?
Motorists are getting a break on gasoline. The nationwide average Friday was $3.35 per gallon, compared to $3.83 a year ago, according to AAA.
For electric vehicles, the average price for a kilowatt of power at an L2 commercial charging station is about 34 cents. The average is under 25 cents in Kansas and Missouri but tops 40 cents in several states, including New Hampshire, Tennessee and Kentucky. Hawaii is the costliest, at 56 cents.
Average airfares in July were down 7.1% from June and 2.8% from July 2023, according to the government's consumer price index. Steve Hafner, CEO of the travel metasearch site Kayak, said airfares are dropping as the peak summer-vacation season ends.
When is the best time to hit the road?
Early morning or late evening. Transportation-data provider INRIX says traffic will be heaviest between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, when people head home.
When will airports be busiest?
The TSA expects to screen 2.86 million people Friday. That's impressive, but it won't rank among TSA's top 15 days — 14 of which were this year. The single-day record of 3.01 million was set July 7, the Sunday after Independence Day.
TSA says it has enough screeners to keep the time it takes to get through regular lines to 30 minutes or less and to no more than 10 minutes for PreCheck lines.
American Airlines expects to operate 6,400 flights Friday, the same as Thursday, and 6,300 on Labor Day itself.
What should I do if my flight is delayed or canceled?
Check your flight's status before leaving for the airport. It’s better to be stuck at home than stranded at the airport.
If your flight is canceled, the airline might automatically rebook you. That might not be the best option.
“Get on the phone (to the airline's help center), get in front of an agent, reach out to the airline via social media if you have to, but find out what the other options are,” says Julian Kheel, the founder and CEO of Points Path, a browser extension that lets users compare fares with deals available using frequent-flyer points.
Kheel said agents at the airport have more leeway to help but might be overwhelmed by the number of passengers needing help. DIY rebooking on the airline website or app might be faster, he said.
Phone tip: If the airline has international help numbers, call one of those to get through more quickly.
What about refunds and reimbursement?
Airlines are required to provide refunds — including for extra fees paid — to passengers whose flights are canceled for any reason. However, they are not required to pay cash compensation, and no major U.S. airlines do. Only Alaska, Southwest and JetBlue even promise travel vouchers if the cancellation is their fault.
If you’re stuck overnight, ask the airline about paying for a hotel, meals and ground transportation. All major U.S. airlines except Frontier promise to help with all three for “controllable” disruptions, according to the Transportation Department’s airline-policy dashboard.
Keep receipts for all out-of-pocket expenses in case you can file a claim later.
A few final tips
— Leave early. Everything will take longer than you expect, including getting through airport security.
— Watch the weather. Even if skies are clear at home, there could be storms at your flight's destination or along your road route. Have a backup route.
— Don't check a bag. About one in every 170 checked bags was lost, damaged or stolen in May, the latest month covered by government figures.
— Be nice. “Go with the flow. You don't need to hate on the customer-service people. They're doing the best they can,” said Shannon Beddingfield of Texas as she prepared to board a flight to Orlando, Florida.
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Teresa Crawford in Chicago, Mat Otero in Dallas, Haven Daley in San Francisco and Jae C. Hong in Los Angeles contributed reporting.