November 07, 2018

ATL: Busiest Airport Thanksgiving Week, 8 a.m. Busiest Time

InsureMyTrip and Hopper Announce Busiest Airports This Thanksgiving
Based on data, travelers can make smarter choices about their travel plans and a travel insurance purchase.

In an effort to help empower travelers to make more informed decisions when it comes to 2018 Thanksgiving travel plans, Hopper and InsureMyTrip research teams reveal what airports and flights to avoid, the best time to buy, and how the latest data trends can aid travelers when comparing travel insurance benefits.

Summary
The data revealed the following trends for Thanksgiving 2018:
¥ Busiest day to depart for Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 21
¥ Busiest day to return from Thanksgiving: Sunday, November 25
¥ Top Busiest Airports & Times (local time):

1. Atlanta (ATL) - 8:00am
2. Los Angeles (LAX) - 7:00am
3. Chicago (ORD) - 6:00pm
4. Dallas (DFW) - 9:00am
5. Denver (DEN) - 10:00am
6. New York (JFK) - 6:00pm

The busiest day to depart for the Thanksgiving holiday this year is Wednesday, November 21, while the busiest day to return is Sunday, November 25.

This is the list of the busiest airports for Thanksgiving, based on total departing passengers and volume of scheduled departures:

Rank Airport City Scheduled Outbound
Passengers
Busiest Time
(local time)
1 ATL Atlanta 1,263,168 8:00 am
2 LAX Los Angeles 1,074,752 7:00 am
3 ORD Chicago 1,057,482 6:00 pm
4 DFW Dallas 828,891 9:00 am
5 DEN Denver 787,629 10:00 am
6 JFK New York 781,953 6:00 pm
7 SFO San Francisco 714,796 12:00 pm
8 CLT Charlotte 614,779 8:00 am
9 MCO Orlando 603,100 6:00 am
10 SEA Seattle 590,938 6:00 am
11 LAS Las Vegas 585,395 8:00 am
12 PHX Phoenix 572,981 10:00 am
13 EWR Neward 571,303 5:00 pm
14 IAH Houston 551,436 5:00 pm
15 MIA Miami 548,175 10:00 am
16 BOS Boston 509,491 6:00 am
17 FLL Fort Lauderdale 475,635 8:00 am
18 DTW Detroit 426,725 7:00 am
19 MSP Minneapolis 426,900 2:00 pm
20 LGA New York 393,599 10:00 am
21 PHL Philadelphia 384,000 7:00 am
22 BWI Baltimore 365,379 7:00 am
23 DCA Washington, DC 323,566 4:00 pm
24 SAN San Diego 312,840 9:00 am

The busiest airports for Thanksgiving week, based on the volume of scheduled departures.

While the Thanksgiving travel period is a busy time of year, airlines are improving on-time performance track record. Airlines reported the lowest percentage of canceled flights last year and the highest on-time performance ranking since at least 2009.

Year Total Flights On Time Delayed Canceled
2009 199,280 88% 12% 0.40%
2010 204,172 81% 18% 0.83%
2011 187,088 85% 14% 0.74%
2012 173,469 86% 13% 0.57%
2013 197,013 78% 21% 1.29%
2014 180,929 79% 20% 0.87%
2015 181,512 84% 15% 0.93%
2016 177,471 85% 15% 0.25%
2017 178,139 89% 11% 0.20%


Best Protection For Flight Delays

Based on these data results, travelers can make smarter choices about their travel plans and travel insurance purchases. For example, passengers with departing flights at busier airports are more likely to utilize a travel delay benefit and, therefore, may want to compare travel insurance policies with better delay protection.

"If travelers are made aware of the probability of delays, they can then use that data to help them compare travel delay benefits when considering a travel insurance purchase," says InsureMyTrip Intelligence Analyst Danny DeMello.

Travel delay benefits vary with each travel insurance provider, generally between a 5 and 24-hour window. The benefit is designed to provide reimbursement for reasonable meals and accommodations while unable to travel.

Tip: Travelers must be delayed for a certain number of hours before this benefit can be applied. When comparing travel insurance, look for the minimum delay time (typically, starting at 5 hours) to start qualifying for coverage as soon as possible.

Best Protection For Delayed Bags

Travelers may also want to ensure baggage delay coverage is included under a selected comprehensive travel insurance plan. Baggage delay coverage generally becomes active after belongings have been delayed for a specified period of time, typically 12 or 24 hours.

Tip: When comparing travel insurance, look for a maximum per-person coverage amount as well as a per-day limit. For example, some policies may offer $500 per person to purchase incidentals, but only allow $200 to be spent per day.

Copyright 2018 InsureMyTrip. All rights reserved. From https://www.insuremytrip.com.

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