Air travel during the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays may be less problematic than in past years thanks to the government’s plan to open holiday express lanes in the sky between December 21 and January 2. The Department of Defense will allow commercial airlines to use airspace normally reserved for the military over the East and West Coasts. Typically, busy travel days result in traffic jams in the sky when too many planes try to squeeze into narrow air corridors between busy airports.
Holiday express lanes were also opened over Thanksgiving week, which contributed to the remarkable smoothness of flying during what is typically one of worst times of the year to travel. It worked so well that the airlines have been clamoring for the government to open these express lanes on a more regular basis.
Whether or not Christmas air travel will run as efficiently as Thanksgiving depends heavily on the weather and airline and airport staffing, but the opening of military airspace should make a difference. To learn how you can make your holiday travel easier, read Associate Editor Sarah Pascarella’s tips.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Related
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
9-Night Seoul, Hong Kong & Tokyo...
Exoticca
vacation $3099+16-Night Hawaiian Islands Cruise Over Christmas...
Princess Cruises
cruise $1579+Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
Car Rental $19+