2021 Labor Day Travel Outlook - Busiest Airports

Labor Day is just days away and the team at travel app, Hopper has compiled everything travelers need to know before hitting the road or skies over the long weekend.

Busiest Airports

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (#1) will be the busiest airport on Labor Day Weekend, with 567K departing seats on Friday, September 3rd. Chicago’s O’Hare (#2) and Los Angeles’s LAX (#3) are the next busiest airports, with an estimated 404K and 374K departing seats respectively. 

Busiest Travel Dates

• We’re expecting Thursday, September 2nd to be the busiest travel day to depart, with 50k more departing seats than Friday, September 3rd as airlines plan capacity around travelers taking a long weekend. 

• Dates later the following week tend to have more seat capacity for return flights, again suggesting that travelers are looking to take a long weekend. Wednesday, September 8th looks to be the busiest return date, followed by Tuesday, September 7th. Labor Day itself seems to be the least busiest of the three for return flights.

Busiest Travel Dates:

Busiest Days to Depart:

1. Thursday, September 2nd, 2021 (4.2m departing seats)

2. Friday, September 3rd, 2021 (4.15m departing seats)

3. Wednesday, September 1st, 2021 (4.0m departing seats)

Busiest Days to Return: 

1. Wednesday, September 8th, 2021 (5.1m departing seats)

2. Tuesday, September 7th, 2021 (4.2m departing seats)

3. Monday (Labor Day), September 6th, 2021 (4.1m departing seats)

Top Booked Destinations for Labor Day 2021 (Domestic & International):

Average Prices for Labor Day

• Domestic Airfare: $254/round-trip, up 28% from 2020, down 13% from 2019

• International Airfare: $688/round-trip, down 4% from 2020, and down 14% from 2019

How to book with flexibility when planning last minute Labor Day travel? 

With rising concerns over the Delta variant, we are seeing more and more travelers taking advantage of Hopper’s flexible booking options. In fact, Hopper is seeing a surge in demand this month for its flexible booking options. Purchases of Hopper’s Rebooking Guarantee, which includes Delays and Missed Connection protection and its Cancel for Any Reason product are up over 50% in recent weeks!

• Book with Cancel for Any Reason – If you book a CFAR ticket on Hopper, you can instantly cancel your flight for any reason up to 24 prior to departure and receive at least 80% your ticket cost back.

• Add Change for Any Reason – This plan gives you the power to instantly change your flight, including date, time, and airline, for any reason up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure with no added fees. 

• Avoid trip disruptions with Rebooking Guarantee – If your trip is delayed or you miss your connection, you can instantly rebook the next flight to their destination in the app – no matter the airline – at no additional cost.