If you’re flying home for the holidays, get ready for lines of all kinds—according to a forecast by advocacy group Airlines for America, more than 47 million Americans will fly in the days leading up to Christmas and through January 5, 2020, representing roughly 2.6 million passengers a day.
In its report, Airlines for America also predicted both the lightest and busiest travel days during the upcoming holidays. If you booked a flight on December 20, per A4A’s forecast, you should probably set aside some extra time for the wait at security or otherwise risk a close call while catching your flight.
Below you’ll find both the best and worst days to fly, according to the forecast:
The busiest
Friday, December 20
Saturday, December 21
Friday, December 27
Thursday, December 26
The lightest
Tuesday, December 24
Tuesday, December 31
Wednesday, December 25
A4A predicts that at least 300,000 more people will fly out on the busiest days than the average for that period. (They also predict that U.S. airlines will soon add 844 flights a day just to meet the demand.)
The results, for the most part, aren’t too surprising given that the worst days fall around weekends and the lightest fall either on or around the holidays. Still, if you’re flying out early for Christmas, it might be worth it to ditch the checked bag and check in online to speed up the process. (In case you need it, and you probably will, here’s our post on how to get through airport security faster, too.)