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Friday expected to be busiest day for Labor Day air travel

Travelers in Terminal 5 wait in long lines at the Delta Airlines counter at Los Angeles International Airport on the getaway day for the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 4, 2015. Industry leaders predict 16.5 million people will travel on U.S. carriers this holiday weekend. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Credit: Mark Boster

Credit: Mark Boster

Travelers in Terminal 5 wait in long lines at the Delta Airlines counter at Los Angeles International Airport on the getaway day for the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 4, 2015. Industry leaders predict 16.5 million people will travel on U.S. carriers this holiday weekend. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
By
Aug 31, 2018

An estimated 16.5 million travelers are expected to fly on U.S. airlines over the busy Labor Day travel period, according to an airline industry group.

Airlines for America says that's a 3.5 percent increase compared with travel volumes for the Labor Day period last year.

Friday is expected to be the busiest day, when an estimated 2.76 million passengers will be traveling on U.S. airlines, the group said.

It is expected to be busier than Thursday and Monday, with about 2.6 million people traveling each of those days.

The busy period for the holiday runs from the Wednesday before until the Tuesday after.

Saturday and Sunday will be less congested, and are among the lightest days of the year for air travel, according to Airlines for America.

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As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.

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