How to master the coming holiday air travel season

As heartwarming as holiday images can be, the millions of people accustomed to traveling to see family each December may also think of crowded airports and long delays when pondering the holiday season. Though no one wants to endure flight delays or slow-moving airport security lines, travelers can look to various strategies to make holiday season air travel more pleasant.

• Carefully select your departure days. Air travel is not exactly having a moment. According to data from the United States Department of Transportation, nearly one in four flights did not arrive on time in 2025. That includes flights that were delayed, canceled or diverted. While delays, cancellations and diversions happen every day, travelers can do themselves a favor by booking flights on days when airports tend to be less crowded. And while the holiday season might be seen as a particularly difficult time to head to the airport, data from the Transportation Security Administration indicates that only one of the 15 busiest travel days between November 2024 and November 2025 fell during the holiday season. So air travel might be more accommodating in December than travelers think. When choosing a holiday season flight, avoid booking flights the day before a holiday like Christmas. Christmas will be celebrated on a Friday in 2026, so booking early that week could be your best bet, as mid-week tends to be a less busy time at airports.

• Try to depart in the morning. It also helps to choose an early morning flight, as such flights tend to experience fewer delays and lines at security checkpoints typically are shorter in the early morning than later in the day.

• Pack light. Packing light can reduce time spent at the airport and make it easier to manage delays or even missed connecting flights. By packing just a carry-on, travelers can keep all of their possessions with them at all times, which saves time at busy baggage claims and ensures luggage isn’t lost should travelers miss their connecting flight. That can offer some much-needed peace of mind should a holiday season travel day end up being longer than travelers hoped.

—MetroCreativeConnection