WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration expects Thursday to be the busiest air travel day of the year so far, projecting it to be the start of summer travel ahead of the July 4th weekend.
53,677 flights are expected to take off across the country on Thursday. From Friday through July 8, there will be anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 flights each day.
Palm Beach International Airport is also feeling the passenger influx this year. The airport saw a record breaking 8,021,505 passengers from May 2023 to the end of May 2024. That is 13% higher than the pre-pandemic record of 7,045,388 set in February 2020.
According to Tripadvisor, the top five most popular domestic destinations this summer for U.S. travelers this summer are:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Orlando, Florida
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- New York City
The top five most popular international places this summer are:
- Cancun, Mexico
- London, England
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Paris, France
- Cabo San Lucus, Mexico
For Matthew Comiter, he's already felt today's airport stress.
"We showed up to the airport at 5 a.m. and our flight was canceled. We were able to rebook another flight, but that one is apparently delayed an hour," Comiter said.
Busy travel times like this can be stressful and filled with delays and even some cancellations.
The FAA said weather is the leading cause of air travel delays and cancellations right now, so be sure to check your flight status well ahead of time.
