If information is power here’s some data that could help you better handle Thanksgiving travels. Cheapflights’ partner Orbitz has just come out with a list of the ten-busiest domestic airports in the land this coming Turkey Day holiday, and there’s a pretty significant surprise. Topping the list for 2008 is Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS). Last year the desert aerodrome, a significant focus airport for discount airline Southwest, ranked tenth-busiest. Rounding out the top ten in terms of passenger traffic:
2) New York LaGuardia (LGA)
3) Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
4) Los Angeles International (LAX)
5) San Francisco International (SFO)
6) Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
7) Newark Liberty International (EWR)
8) Miami International (MIA)
9) Denver International (DEN)
10) Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
Here’s the part of the assessment that can really pay off in terms of finding a flight, or discovering more placid times to catch a plane. Orbitz says the busiest travel days this Thanksgiving holiday, in order, are Sunday, November 30, Wednesday, November 26, and Sunday, November 23. The least busy are Tuesday, November 25, Monday, November 24, and Saturday, November 29.
A Cheapflights observation: one prime time to fly back home from that Thanksgiving feast might well be a crack-of-dawn flight on Saturday, November 29. The absolute worst time to leave is —as the survey shows — Sunday, November 30. Sunday afternoon is likely to be worst.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
