A record 27.3 million passengers are expected to fly on U.S. airlines over the Thanksgiving travel period, up 2.5 percent from last year, according to industry group Airlines for America.
The Thanksgiving travel period runs from Friday Nov. 18 through Tuesday Nov. 29.
The busiest travel day in the period is expected to be Sunday Nov. 27, followed by Monday Nov. 28 and Wednesday Nov. 23.
Thanksgiving Day itself will have the lightest crowds of the period.
The airline industry group says what's driving the increase in passenger counts is "highly affordable airfare."
Airlines have been struggling with declining unit revenue, including Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which reported Wednesday that its October passenger unit revenue was down 6.5 percent year-over-year.
