The three busiest airports for Thanksgiving and Christmas are expected to be Chicago O’ Hare International (ORD), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) and Los Angeles International (LAX), based on the Orbitz Insider Index, which analyzed Orbitz.com flight booking data for the top 50 U.S. airports during the holiday season.
“Travelers have come to rely upon the busiest airport rankings from Orbitz.com to better navigate the holiday travel season. This year, we’ve analyzed data not only for Thanksgiving but also for Christmas in order to arm people with information to help them better prepare for departure,” said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor at Orbitz.com. “Travelers looking to avoid the crowds and long lines should consider flying on off-peak days like Thanksgiving Day or booking airfare to alternative airports in the busiest regions, like John Wayne International in nearby Orange County instead of LAX.”
According to the Orbitz.com 2016 holiday survey, 73 percent of Americans plan to travel for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.1 As always during the holiday season, travelers should anticipate long lines and packed flights. In particular, flights from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles International (LAX) will likely be the most congested during Thanksgiving. While travel from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Denver International Airport (DEN) will likely be the most crowded during Christmas.
ORBITZ.COM BUSIEST AIRPORTS FOR THANKSGIVING TRAVEL 2016
| RANK | AIRPORT NAME | LOCATION/MARKET | AIRPORT CODE | ||||||
| 1 | Chicago O’Hare International | Chicago, Ill. | ORD | ||||||
| 2 | Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International | Atlanta, Ga. | ATL | ||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles International | Los Angeles, Calif. | LAX | ||||||
| 4 | Denver International | Denver, Colo. | DEN | ||||||
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth International | Dallas, Texas | DFW | ||||||
| 6 | Charlotte-Douglas International | Charlotte, N.C. | CLT | ||||||
| 7 | Newark Liberty International | Newark, N.J. | EWR | ||||||
| 8 | Houston George Bush Intercontinental | Houston, Texas | IAH | ||||||
| 9 | San Francisco International | San Francisco, Calif. | SFO | ||||||
| 10 | John F. Kennedy International | New York, N.Y. | JFK |
ORBITZ.COM BUSIEST AIRPORTS FOR CHRISTMAS TRAVEL 2016
| RANK | AIRPORT NAME | LOCATION/MARKET | AIRPORT CODE | ||||||
| 1 | Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International | Atlanta, Ga. | ATL | ||||||
| 2 | Chicago O’Hare International | Chicago, Ill. | ORD | ||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles International | Los Angeles, Calif. | LAX | ||||||
| 4 | Charlotte-Douglas International | Charlotte, N.C. | CLT | ||||||
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth International | Dallas, Texas | DFW | ||||||
| 6 | Denver International | Denver, Colo. | DEN | ||||||
| 7 | John F. Kennedy International | New York, N.Y. | JFK | ||||||
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma International | Seattle, Wash. | SEA | ||||||
| 9 | Phoenix Sky Harbor International | Phoenix, Ariz. | PHX | ||||||
| 10 | Orlando International | Orlando, Fla. | MCO |
