Trade group Airlines for America is forecasting that 42 million passengers will fly between Dec. 17 and Jan. 7, down a little less than 1% (about 300,000 travelers) from the three-week holiday period a year ago.
Planes are expected to be about 85% full over the period, and the busiest days could reach 90%, because airlines are managing capacity tightly.
The busiest days are expected to be the weekend before Christmas, the day after Christmas and Jan. 2. Daily passenger volume is expected to range from 1.5 million to 2.3 million.