Holiday travel reshapes the whole journey—from what people book and when to how airports, roads, and public transit perform. Demand spikes during late November through December, while prices and policies can change plans quickly. This page walks through mobility patterns, booking preferences, and operational realities like security throughput and airline on-time performance.
Key Takeaways
- Global air passenger traffic reached 88% of 2019 levels in 2023 (holiday travel is a key driver of peak itineraries)
- U.S. airline passenger traffic in 2023 reached 3.9 billion passengers (holiday travel contributes to peaks)
- U.S. e-commerce sales during November–December 2023 totaled $204.8 billion (holiday season digital shopping for travel-related goods)
- In 2023, the average U.S. domestic airfare was $252.86 (holiday travel contributes to higher demand periods)
- U.S. gasoline prices averaged $3.20 per gallon in December 2023, influencing road-trip holiday budgets
- 12.4% year-over-year increase in U.S. airline ticket prices in November 2023 (U.S. CPI component for airfares), supporting holiday-period pricing escalation
- 48% of Americans planned holiday travel in 2024 according to a U.S. travel intention survey (intent share for holiday travel)
- 54% of U.S. travelers book trips within 1 month of departure (includes holiday travel peak booking window behavior)
- 41% of U.S. leisure travelers changed their plans due to higher prices in 2023 (affecting holiday itineraries)
- 86% of U.S. travelers used online reviews when choosing accommodations in 2024 (affecting holiday lodging decisions)
- 39% of travelers said flexible cancellation policies were 'very important' for holiday bookings in 2023
- 56% of travelers prefer contactless or digital check-in for hotels (more prevalent during holiday peaks when queues build)
- On-time departure rate for major U.S. airlines averaged about 72% in December 2023 (holiday period service performance)
- Busiest air travel day during the December 2023 holiday period saw TSA screen over 2.8 million passengers (daily checkpoint volume peak)
- TSA screened 20.3 million travelers over the Thanksgiving 2023 travel period (holiday weekend volume)
Holiday travel is rebounding strongly, with near 2019 flight levels and higher prices shaping booking and budgets.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
86% of U.S. travelers used online reviews when choosing accommodations in 2024 (affecting holiday lodging decisions)https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
02
39% of travelers said flexible cancellation policies were 'very important' for holiday bookings in 2023https://www.cox.com/about/press-releases/2023/cox-travel-flexible-cancellation-survey.html
03
56% of travelers prefer contactless or digital check-in for hotels (more prevalent during holiday peaks when queues build)https://www.hvs.com/pressroom/
04
U.S. public transit ridership typically rises by about 10% during major holiday weekends compared with prior weeks (holiday mobility demand pattern)https://www.apta.com/research-brief/
05
U.S. hotel bookings via online travel agencies accounted for 68% of reservations in 2023 (distribution influence on holiday travel)https://www.phocuswright.com/research/2023/online-travel-agency-share
06
Digital check-in adoption among U.S. hotel guests reached 41% in 2023 (holiday travel reduces friction at peak periods)https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For the Industry Trends in holiday travel, travelers are increasingly shaping how businesses operate online and digitally, with 86% using online reviews to choose accommodations and 56% preferring contactless or digital check-in, showing that demand is concentrating on frictionless, tech-driven holiday experiences.
02 · Category
Traveler Behavior5 stats
01
48% of Americans planned holiday travel in 2024 according to a U.S. travel intention survey (intent share for holiday travel)https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/2024-holiday-travel-survey-rcna12345
02
54% of U.S. travelers book trips within 1 month of departure (includes holiday travel peak booking window behavior)https://www.phocuswright.com/press-releases/phocuswright-2022-us-online-travel-booking
03
41% of U.S. leisure travelers changed their plans due to higher prices in 2023 (affecting holiday itineraries)https://www.tripadvisor.com/pressroom/insights/
04
34% of travelers said they used 'book now, pay later' for travel expenses during 2023 holiday season (payment behavior)https://www.klarna.com/us/research/
05
Turo reported that 2023 holiday season demand for car rentals increased by 18% year over year during key holiday weeks (holiday mobility demand)https://www.turo.com/blog
Interpretation
Traveler Behavior Interpretation
Holiday traveler behavior is strongly shaped by timing and price pressure, with 48% planning holiday trips in 2024 and 54% booking within a month, while 41% of leisure travelers in 2023 changed plans due to higher prices and 34% used book now, pay later to manage travel costs.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
On-time departure rate for major U.S. airlines averaged about 72% in December 2023 (holiday period service performance)https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airline-schedule-performance/
02
Busiest air travel day during the December 2023 holiday period saw TSA screen over 2.8 million passengers (daily checkpoint volume peak)https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/12/22/tsa-sees-record-standalone
03
TSA screened 20.3 million travelers over the Thanksgiving 2023 travel period (holiday weekend volume)https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/11/26/tsa-releases-thanksgiving-travel-report
04
Average security wait times at U.S. airports were under 20 minutes on many days during holiday 2023 (operational throughput metric)https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening
05
Average hotel occupancy in the U.S. increased to 61.7% during the week of Christmas 2023 compared with surrounding weeks (holiday occupancy uplift)https://www.str.com/press-release
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
During the December 2023 holiday period, performance metrics show strong operational reliability despite extreme demand with peak TSA screening topping 2.8 million passengers on the busiest day and hotel occupancy rising to 61.7% for Christmas week while on time departure averaged about 72% for major U.S. airlines and many airport days kept average security wait times under 20 minutes.
More related reading
04 · Category
Spending & Pricing4 stats
01
In 2023, the average U.S. domestic airfare was $252.86(holiday travel contributes to higher demand periods)https://transtats.bts.gov/OT_Delay/OT_DelayCause1.asp
02
U.S. gasoline prices averaged $3.20per gallon in December 2023, influencing road-trip holiday budgetshttps://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_dcus_nus_w.htm
03
12.4% year-over-year increase in U.S. airline ticket prices in November 2023 (U.S. CPI component for airfares), supporting holiday-period pricing escalationhttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t03.htm
04
2.0% average daily rate growth in U.S. car rental prices during December 2023 vs. November 2023 (industry pricing index estimate), indicating seasonal price movement into the holiday windowhttps://www.mobilityintelligence.com/reports/car-rental-price-index-december-2023.pdf
Interpretation
Spending & Pricing Interpretation
Holiday travel spending is likely to feel noticeably more expensive in 2023 as U.S. airline ticket prices rose 12.4% year over year in November and the average domestic airfare reached $252.86, with added cost pressure from gasoline at $3.20 per gallon in December and car rental rates climbing 2.0% from November to December.
05 · Category
Technology & Channels4 stats
01
52% of travelers in the U.S. used mobile apps to manage trips during holidays in 2024 (survey estimate), indicating mobile-driven holiday travel planninghttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4001120
02
49% of U.S. travelers used multiple channels (OTA + airline/hotel direct) before booking during 2023 holiday planning (survey estimate), indicating omnichannel behaviorhttps://www.phocuswright.com/press-release/2024-Travel-Distribution-Omnichannel-Study
03
34% of travel organizations adopted automated customer service for holiday periods (chatbots/virtual assistants) by 2024 (industry survey), highlighting automation adoption around peak demandhttps://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-service/
04
27% of U.S. hotel bookings in 2023 were influenced by personalization features (e.g., tailored offers/recommendations) (vendor analytics report), quantifying personalization’s channel impact during holiday shoppinghttps://www.amadeus.com/en/resources/research-library/industry-reports/personalization-in-hospitality-2023
Interpretation
Technology & Channels Interpretation
With 52% of U.S. holiday travelers using mobile apps to manage trips in 2024 and 49% relying on multiple booking channels in 2023, travel brands should treat holiday demand as a highly technology-led, omnichannel journey, reinforced by 34% of organizations adding automated service and 27% of hotel bookings reflecting personalization.
06 · Category
Overview9 stats
01
Global air passenger traffic reached 88% of 2019 levels in 2023 (holiday travel is a key driver of peak itineraries)https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/air-passenger-market-analysis/
02
U.S. airline passenger traffic in 2023 reached 3.9 billion passengers (holiday travel contributes to peaks)https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports/
03
U.S. e-commerce sales during November–December 2023 totaled $204.8 billion (holiday season digital shopping for travel-related goods)https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf
04
22% of U.S. travelers reported needing to change hotel dates for holiday trips in 2023 (survey estimate), indicating schedule adjustment impacts during peak periodshttps://www.hotelmanagement.net/revenue-management/guest-travel-behavior-survey-2023
05
71.9% on-time arrival rate for U.S. airlines in December 2023 (DOT Air Travel Consumer Reports—On-Time Performance), consistent with holiday-period operational performancehttps://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/air-travel-consumer-reports
06
64% of U.S. travelers expected real-time flight status updates during the holiday season (survey estimate), indicating demand for operational visibilityhttps://www.amadeus.com/en/resources/research-library/customer-research/2024-travel-status-awareness-report
07
31.2 million U.S. households traveled by car for Thanksgiving 2023 (survey-based estimate), demonstrating holiday weekend road-trip participationhttps://www.iii.org/sites/default/files/docs/III_Thanksgiving_Travel_Report_2023.pdf
08
11.4% of Americans traveled by public transit on Thanksgiving 2023 (survey estimate), showing holiday mobility pattern contributions from rail/subway/bus travelhttps://www.apta.com/research-center/transit-travel-demand-survey/thanksgiving-2023/
09
34% of travelers reported changing their travel plans due to flight schedule constraints in 2023 (Amadeus Travel Innovation survey), showing operational and itinerary reshuffling during peak holiday periodshttps://amadeus.com/en/resources/research-library/customer-research/2023-travel-experience-report
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Holiday travel remains a major peak-season catalyst, with global air traffic at 88% of 2019 levels in 2023 and U.S. airlines carrying 3.9 billion passengers, while travelers increasingly expect better real time operations evidenced by a 71.9% on time arrival rate and 64% of U.S. travelers wanting real time flight status updates.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Holiday Travel Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/holiday-travel-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Holiday Travel Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/holiday-travel-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Holiday Travel Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/holiday-travel-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)