It’s almost June, and
summer travel season
is officially here. Over the Memorial Day weekend,
AAA predicts
3.61 million passengers will be on flights in the U.S., which is a significant increase of 2% over last year, when 3.55 million Americans traveled during the annual holiday. This year’s Memorial Day trends also point to airlines surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 12%, although the record for air travel over Memorial Day weekend still dates back to 2005 at 3.64 million travelers.
According to
AAA
, the majority of the flights taking place over
Memorial Day weekend
are to large cities such as Chicago, New York, Orlando, Denver and Seattle.
To save some dough, AAA suggests booking flights that take off on Tuesdays or return on Wednesdays, since weekend flights tend to be more costly.
Starting June 3, United Airlines requires all domestic travelers with no checked baggage to complete their check-in process at least 45 minutes before their flight departs, up from the previous requirement of 30 minutes. Therefore, effective June 3 and onwards, anyone traveling domestically must aim to finish this procedure within the new timeframe; otherwise, they risk missing their flight.
According United Airlines
, the check-in time limits for domestic travelers with and without checked in bags is 45 minutes, while the check-in time for international travelers is 60 minutes. That international check-in time remains unchanged.
The airline says the change with domestic flights will increase efficiency and streamline their process. The added time will help their agents assist those who make the cut with their luggage, seating and arrangements. Starting on June 3, the airline will start enforcing this rule, without exceptions.
Thus, the era of tolerating last-minute check-ins is coming to an end. This is yet another incentive to arrive at the airport as soon as you can when embarking on your journey.
Associated: Leading U.S. Airline Reports Growth in Flight Destinations
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