This Fourth of July, more than 44 million people are expected to travel to visit friends and family. According to Travel and Leisure, 2017 will be the most traveled Fourth of July weekend ever.
Earlier this week, travel site RewardExpert released their 2017 Independence Day Air Travel Forecast, which helps you determine the best route to your Fourth of July destination.
RewardExpert analyzed five years of flight data from the Department of Transportation to help travelers choose the airline and airport with the fewest delays. According to their report, they’ve examined flight data from the top 10 domestic airlines flying out of the 45 busiest airports in the country.
How to avoid travel delays and cancellations
According to their data, the worst days for flying during the Fourth of July holiday are June 30 and July 1. The busiest days for traveling before holidays are Friday and Saturday, before the holiday. You are likely to see the most cancellations and delays. Also expect ticket prices to jump on those days.
According to the report, the best day to travel is on Tuesday, July 4. Their data shows travel on the day of the holiday has fewer delays than any of the days just before it. If you can catch a flight early July 4, you just might be able to travel without lines.
If you’re planning a short trip, Thursday, July 6, is the best time to fly for your return trip.
The Worst Airlines to Fly during Fourth of July
According to the report, United Airlines is the worst airline to travel with during the Fourth of July holiday, followed by Jet Blue, Southwest and Frontier.
Hawaiian Airlines was ranked the best during the previous holidays. Data showed that its flights were on time 94.7 percent of the time, followed by Alaska Airlines and Delta.
If you have the option of choosing which airport to fly out of for your Fourth of July getaway, you may want to avoid Hartsfield-Jackson, O’Hare International, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and Los Angeles. The data showed that those airports are the busiest during the July Fourth holiday.
