More Americans Plan to Take a Trip this Thanksgiving

Airports will be busy over the Thanksgiving holiday with 61 percent of travelers planning to take a trip, up six percent from 2014.

Los Angeles International (LAX) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) will be the busiest airports for the third consecutive year based on the Orbitz Insider Index, which analyzed the Orbitz.com flight booking data of the top 50 U.S. airports over the Thanksgiving travel period (Nov. 25 – 30, 2015).

Newcomers to this year’s busiest airport list are Denver International (DEN), Orlando International (MCO), Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW), and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL).

“With travel expected to be up six percent, those heading to airports this Thanksgiving will need to build in extra time to account for bigger crowds and longer lines,” said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor of Orbitz.com. “As expected, Wednesday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 29 will be the busiest of the weekend. Travelers looking to avoid the crowds should consider flying out on Thanksgiving day and coming back on Monday, Nov. 30, both the least busy of the holiday weekend.”

Orbitz also provides a list of the least busy airports. This year’s list is split down the middle with five airports making the list for the second year in a row and five newcomers.

Travelers flying in to Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Omaha, Kahului Airport (OGG) in Maui or Mineta San Jose International (SJC) can expect minimal stress and shorter lines as they are the least busy for Thanksgiving weekend.