Fourth of July travel 2024: What to know – The Points Guy

What is the worst day to travel for Fourth of July?

Unlike Memorial Day, which always falls on the same day of the week, predicting the busiest travel day for Fourth of July is a bit trickier.

Last year, the holiday fell on a Tuesday, and the Friday before the Fourth (June 30) proved to be the busiest day of the rush. A whopping 2.8 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints that day. At the time, that was a single-day record, but it has since been topped seven times — including twice just in the past week.

This year, Fourth of July falls on a Thursday.

Looking at the travel projections, I’m reminded a bit of the pattern we typically see around Thanksgiving, which, of course, always falls on a Thursday itself.

A busy weekend before the holiday

It looks like there will be a sizable early rush of travelers getting a headstart on their travels, perhaps turning the entire week into a getaway.

The world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), expects this Friday, June 28, to be among its busiest days of the travel rush. 367,000 passengers are expected to pass through ATL that day, airport leaders shared Monday.

For its part, United Airlines predicts Saturday, June 29, will be among its busiest days in terms of volume.

Altogether, the carrier expects its busiest Fourth of July on record, with plans to fly more than 5 million customers between June 28 and July 8 — up 7% over last year.

July 3 final rush expected

Like Thanksgiving, the Wednesday immediately before the holiday is shaping up for a significant last-minute push, too.

Airlines have the most scheduled seats July 3, reports booking app Hopper.

Return crowds expected the Sunday, Monday after the holiday

Hopper, along with United and Atlanta airport leaders, expect large crowds returning from the holiday on Sunday, July 7, and Monday, July 8.

To complete our Thanksgiving analogy, keep this fact in mind: The Sunday after Turkey Day is often the busiest airport day of the entire travel rush. We could likely see a similar pattern play out next week following the Fourth of July.

How common is it for flights to be delayed or canceled?

For those worried about another air travel meltdown, rest assured: it’s been a relatively strong start to the summer — at least so far.

Since Memorial Day weekend, U.S. carriers have collectively canceled 1.4% of flights, according to data from FlightAware.

That’s a far cry from the 2.9% of flights that had been canceled at this point in 2022.

However, cancellation rates have been a tad higher than they were at this point last summer, when U.S. carriers had canceled just 0.9% of flights, per FlightAware.

Delays

As for delays, U.S. airlines have seen just shy of a quarter of flights delayed so far this summer, at 24.2%, FlightAware shows.

That’s up slightly from both 2022 and 2023.

As the Federal Aviation Administration continues to deal with a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, weather is often the most complicating factor.

Summer thunderstorms — particularly in heavily trafficked corridors like the Northeast, mid-Atlantic or Florida — can cause cascading disruptions across the country. This is why you might run into a situation where your flight is delayed because of weather, even with blue skies outside.

That being said, the early results this summer are fairly encouraging overall.

Are flight prices coming down?

Perhaps the best news for travelers so far this summer has been the far-more-available flight deals and redemption opportunities.

Though the holiday may bring elevated fares compared to the rest of summer for many itineraries, Hopper found average domestic airfare for the holiday is down around 18% from last year.

Hoping to score a flight to Europe? Those fares are down roughly 37%, Hopper projected.

As is often the case with major holidays, your best bet to snag a deal may be to depart on the holiday itself, and return a bit later than the crowds — perhaps on the Tuesday or Wednesday after the holiday, if your schedule allows.

Driving for Fourth of July

As always, the largest share of holiday travelers will be driving.

The afternoons of Wednesday, July 3, and Sunday, July 7, will be the most congested nationwide, according to transportation data and insights firm INRIX.

The good news: Current gas prices sit at $3.44 per gallon of regular. They are down from around $3.60 a month ago and around $3.57 one year ago.

Tips for Fourth of July travel 2024

Below are some steps you should take if you plan to travel this Fourth of July.

Use Google Flights to comparison shop