6 Easy Tips to Make Flying During the Holidays Less Stressful
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like flying during the holidays—be it Thanksgiving and Christmas, or even July 4th and other popular times for people to take advantage of the time off and travel. Yet, I still do it. Both my family and my husband’s live on the east coast (we’re in California) and it’s the only option if we want to spend the holidays with them.
Although the holidays are generally the busiest and most chaotic times times to fly, I’ve had some smooth experiences too. As both a frequent holiday traveler and a travel industry professional who regularly obsesses over airport data, trends, and travel tips I’ve learned that these 6 things can help make your holiday travels less stressful.
1. Book a flight for early in the day
According to Department of Transportation, airlines are less likely to cancel or delay their early morning flights. This is because issues elsewhere (such as weather delays or a mechanical issue with your incoming aircraft) can cause a ripple effect as the day progresses. This means that if a storm hits Chicago in the morning, your 3 p.m. flight departing from sunny L.A. could be impacted because you were waiting on a plane that was flying in from there. On the other hand, the aircraft for that 6 a.m. fight likely arrived the night before.
That said, cancellations and delays of morning flights are of course still possible—they’re just less likely.
2. Avoid the absolute busiest days for flying
Around Christmas and Thanksgiving, some days are significantly busier than others. If you have flexibility in your travels, avoid booking a flight on the absolute busiest of the busieset.
Around Christmas, days to avoid are:
December 27th
December 30th
December 20th
December 26th
December 23rd
Around Thanksgiving, the day before (Wednesday) and Sunday after (November 22nd and 26th in 2023) are the busiest travel days and therefore the best days to avoid flying. Generally, flying on Christmas or Thanksgiving day itself can be pretty relaxed and isn’t a terrible option if, say, you have a short fligth or time differences work in your favor.
For a full list of the busiest travel days, NerdWallet has a great ranking based on last year’s TSA data.
3. If you can, take a direct flight
If you can, book a direct flight. Flying with a layover basically means two flights, and therefore two different opportunities to encounter delays or other issues. Checked bags are also much more likely to get lost in the mix if you end up missing your connection and have to re-route, or your first flight was delayed and you end up with a tight connection. Even if it ends up being a bit more expensive, it’s generally worth it to save yourself the headache and time.
4. Avoid checking bags
I know this is easier said than done for some, but traveling carry on only will help you avoid the mayhem of lost bags and crowded baggage carousels. If you’re new to carry on only traveling, I have a separate article on how to pack light for any trip, but here are some tips specific for holiday travel:
Ship or order gifts to your destination — Rather than plug in your own address for gifts, order them to your family’s house in advance. Just make sure you’re giving them a heads up so nothing gets accidentally opened in advance.
Borrow from family — I’ll sometimes borrow a winter coat from family once I land (let’s be honest, I don’t really have a Boston-ready coat in my California wardrobe) and lean on them for some toiletries, like shampoo.
Plan on doing laundry — After all, you likely have access to a washer/dryer, right?
If you do have to check a bag, make sure you have all of your most important items, toiletries, and a spare change of clothes in your carry-on, just in case.
Worried about lost luggage? Some airlines, like United, will let you track your luggage’s location through their app—though travelers are increasingly packing a small Apple Airtag or similar tracking devices in their checked luggage for even more peace of mind.
Tip: Flying Delta or Alaska Airlines? If your checked bags aren’t on the carousel within 20 minutes, both of these airlines will give you 2,500 miles (or the choice between 2,500 miles and a $25 voucher in the case of Alaska) for the inconvenience. The only catch: you have to make sure to ask an agent for it.
5. Get to the airport earlier than usual
Since I have TSA precheck and my home airport, SFO, is pretty efficient, I typically arrive 1 - 1.5 hours in advance of departure for domestic flights (roughly 15-30 minutes before boarding starts). I’ll add 10-15 minutes for each of the following:
Arriving on a busy day (20 minutes if it’s especially busy)
No TSA pre-check
Checking a bag
If you end up clearing security quicker than expected, great! Time to go join the crowds in the Starbucks line or treat yourself to a visit at the lounge. I typically save my annual lounge passes that I get through my credit card for just this occasion.
6. Avoid airport parking or plan in advance
Busy travel days also means busy (and full) airport parking lots. Even if you normally drive to and park at the airport, consider alternate means of transit if it’s available to you. If it isn’t, some airport parking lots will let you reserve a spot and check how much parking is available. Even if you do both of these things, you should still plan to arrive even earlier than usual, since even a reservation won’t spare you from having to drive in circles looking for that one available spot.
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