Thanksgiving Travel Anti-Calendar: Worst Drive and Fly Times in the USA
When's the best time to travel during Thanksgiving break? Answer: When everyone else isn't.
With that in mind, we aggregated data from multiple sources to show you the absolute worst day and time to fly and drive in 10 major metropolitan areas. Think that the "worst times" must be the same for everyone everywhere in the United States — as in the days before and after Thanksgiving? Not really.
If you look at the busiest times to be in an airport, according to airfare-prediction app Hopper, you'll see that in Atlanta, regardless of day, the worst time is always 8:40am. And yet in Houston, it's 2:00pm. And for New York City it's 5:30pm. Quite a difference.
A similar lack of consistency appears when you look at the worst times to be driving on the road according to AAA. While there are no bad morning times, things get hairy from 3:15 to 6:00pm on Wednesday in Los Angeles, but the window of awfulness is shorter in San Francisco, where worst drive time is between 4 and 5:45pm on Tuesday.
Now, we know that most people have already purchased their flight home or arranged a carpool, so it may be difficult to change plans. But crowds can be avoided — and 2017 will be one for the record books. The folks at AAA say that this will be the busiest travel time in the last 12 years, with nearly 51 million Americans transiting throughout the country. Congested airports usually mean delays, so make sure you're equipped with a credit card that covers flight or baggage delays. If nothing else, you can consult the chart below just to see how screwed you may be.
| City | Worst Airport Time | Worst Drive Day and Time |
|---|---|---|
Atlanta (ATL) | 8:40 AM | Wednesday 3:00 — 5:15 PM |
Los Angeles (LAX) | 9:00 AM | Tuesday 3:15 — 6:00 PM |
Chicago (ORD) | 8:00 AM | Tuesday 5:00 — 6:00 PM |
New York City (JFK) | 5:30 PM | Tuesday 5:30 — 6:30 PM |
San Francisco (SFO) | 9:40 AM | Tuesday 4:00 — 5:45 PM |
Boston (BOS) | 6:00 AM | Tuesday 5:15 — 7:15 PM |
Washington DC (DCA) | 4:10 PM | Tuesday 4:45 — 6:00 PM |
Seattle (SEA) | 10:40 AM | Tuesday 3:45 — 5:30 PM |
Houston (IAH) | 2:00 PM | Wednesday 5:45 — 7:00 PM |
Detroit (DTW) | 6:50 PM | Tuesday 3:00 — 5:30 PM |
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app