The Worst Part About Thanksgiving Travel Isn’t Actually the Airport
It turns out, the worst part about Thanksgiving isn't the airport — or arguing with extended family members over a carved turkey.
Travelers know to brace themselves for crowds, delays and queues around Thanksgiving. More than 54 million Americans are expected to travel this year between Nov. 21 and Nov. 25, according to AAA, and the TSA is anticipating a 7% increase in passenger volume (about 25 million travelers).
But according to Cars.com, it's the simple act of driving to the airport that could be the worst part of Thanksgiving this year.
Drive times vary, of course, depending on your departure airport and date of travel. For instance, getting to LaGuardia in New York City will always take you more time than navigating to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. But INRIX, a global mobility analytics company, is predicting that travel times in the most congested cities could be four times longer than normal this Thanksgiving period.
If you're flying out of one of these notoriously congested cities, be prepared for outright agonizing airport drive times this year — and avoid at all costs traveling during peak traffic. According to the study, each drive time is estimated from the city's downtown neighborhood. Read up, plan ahead and don't by shy about hitting the road extra early this year. Because the only thing that could make Thanksgiving travel more stressful is missing your flight altogether.
10. Charlotte (CLT), North Carolina
Travel time: 21 minutes if traveling on Tuesday, Nov. 20 between 8pm and 10pm.
9. San Francisco (SFO), California
Travel time: 24 minutes if traveling on Monday, Nov. 19 between 5pm and 7pm.
8. Las Vegas (LAS), Nevada
Travel time: 27 minutes if traveling on Wednesday, Nov. 21 between 8am and 9am.
7. Dallas (DFW), Texas
Travel time: 30 minutes if traveling on Monday, Nov. 19 between 5pm and 7pm.
6. Atlanta (ATL), Georgia
Travel time: 34 minutes if traveling on Tuesday, Nov. 20 between 7pm and 9pm.
5. Seattle (SEA), Washington
Travel time: 41 minutes if traveling on Wednesday, Nov. 21 between 8pm and 10pm.
4. Denver (DIA) Colorado
Travel time: 55 minutes if traveling on Monday, Nov. 19 between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.
3. Los Angeles (LAX), California
Travel time: 58 minutes if traveling on Tuesday, Nov. 20 between 7pm and 9pm.
2. New York City (JFK), New York
Travel time: 1 hour and 19 minutes if traveling on Tuesday, Nov. 20 between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.
1. Chicago (ORD), Illinois
Travel time: 1 hour and 37 minutes if traveling on Wednesday, Nov. 21 between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.
In fact, even if you aren't flying out of one of these cities, be sure to factor in extra time for your travels. Being early is always better than starting off your trip rushed and full of holiday road rage.
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| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Annual Fee
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month