Friday could be the busiest air travel day of the Easter holiday weekend, as a record number of travelers take to the skies this spring.
Airline industry group Airlines for America said it expects the number of passengers on U .S. airlines to be 4.3 percent higher this spring than a year ago.
The growth comes as more Americans fly than in decades past.
The share of Americans who have flown in their lifetimes has reached 87 percent, according to a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs commissioned by Airlines for America and released last year. That’s up from 81 percent in 1997 and 49 percent in 1971.
But many still don’t travel very frequently. About 52 percent of Americans adults said they had not taken any airline trips in 2017, according to the survey results.
Of the remainder that did travel, 24 percent said they took one trip, and 21 percent took two trips.
Passenger rights company AirHelp said the Friday before Easter was the busiest travel day of the holiday weekend at airports around the United States last year.
Looking toward the busy summer season, travel site Hipmunk said the Friday before a holiday is also the most booked departure date for summer holiday weekends, and can cost $100 more.
Hipmunk said its data show the best time to buy less expensive flights for Memorial Day weekend is the week of April 22, while the best time to buy flights for Fourth of July weekend is the week of May 20. And the best time to buy flights for Labor Day weekend is the week of July 1.
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