Consider those halls decked.
December first is here and so is the holiday season ✨ while some of us are still unpacking from Thanksgiving, it’s not too early to start planning ahead for your upcoming travels. We’ve got the latest data to help you know what to expect for busy holiday travel dates, plus a sweepstakes to help you feel extra jolly. Keep scrolling for all the details.
The pre-check
The week’s latest travel stories and news.
- This number cannot be reached.
Frontier is shutting down their customer service line – if you need to get in touch, you can contact them via chat bot, live chat or social media.
- Talk about a throwback.
The US Department of Transportation screened some 2.56 million travelers this past Sunday, nearly reaching pre-pandemic numbers from 2019.
- Coming soon to Belfast.
A new airline, Fly Atlantic, is set to open in the summer of 2024 and will create more connections from North America to the UK.
- We don’t need BeReal.
We need Real ID, apparently. Starting May 3rd, these will be the only driver’s licenses accepted for boarding commercial flights in the US.
- Choo choo troubles.
Negotiations between rail unions and companies are still playing out, which could lead to a rail strike and cause major train disruptions.
Trending travel
It’s the most wonderful (and busy) time of the year
December may be just beginning, but we’ve got the holidays (and holiday travel) on our minds. If Thanksgiving was any indication of what the airport is going to be like, it’s a safe bet that things will be busy. Good thing we have data on our side to help us prepare ahead of time – here’s what to expect* if you plan to fly to wherever you’re celebrating this season:
- If you’re flying out these dates…
Give yourself extra time – according to our recent numbers, the busiest days for holiday travel this year are on 12/23 and 12/22. If you plan to travel that Friday or Thursday, we’d avoid checking bags and expect larger airport lines.
- If you have yet to book…
Save yourself from the crowds while potentially saving some money – if you waited to book, our numbers show that flying to your holiday destination on Christmas Eve could be cheaper than flying out the days before.
Tricks of the trade
Win a weekend escape in Miami Beach
Things that make us happy: art, plants, a weekend away, and the chance to win all three through a sweepstakes. To celebrate their Art Week pop-up and recent partnerships with PLANT PASSENGER, Turo, and our KAYAK Miami Beach hotel, Apostrophe Gallery is giving one lucky winner $300 in Turo travel credits, a two-night stay at our hotel, a $300 gift card to ApostropheGallery.com and a 16×24″ framed PLANT PASSENGER print. Want to learn more about this pop-up and how to enter? We thought so – follow this link for the full deets on your chance to win.
Social shoutouts
We love to ~sea~ where travel takes you – thanks for sharing this shot from Israel, @avivperets. Tag #KAYAKPicks in your next travel IG for a chance to be featured.
Links in this Newsletter are for informational purposes only, and there is no affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement by or with KAYAK Software Corporation whatsoever.
*Methodology: For Christmas travel, KAYAK considered searches from 8/1/22 – 10/25/22 for travel between 12/20/22 – 1/2/23. To compare year over year (2021) we considered searches from 8/1/21 – 10/25/21 for travel between 12/20/21 – 1/2/22. To compare year over three year (2019), we considered searches from 8/1/19 – 10/25/19 for travel between 12/20/19 – 1/2/20.
