Memorial Day Weekend Outlook 2025

Americans are gearing up to kick off summer vacation season with the upcoming holiday weekend! 21 Million seats are scheduled to depart from US airports over Memorial Day weekend this year, an increase of 2% from MDW last year. Travelers will face the largest crowds on Friday, May 23rd as they head out on trips, and on Memorial Day (5/26) as they head home. 

Atlanta, Dallas Fort-Worth and Chicago O’Hare airports will be the busiest over Memorial Day weekend, with Atlanta expecting 1 million seats to depart over the long weekend. Most airports will be busiest in the morning, from 8am to 12pm. Travelers planning to pass through these airports should plan ahead for slightly longer lines and potential domino effect delays over the busy holiday weekend. 

Airfare

Travelers hitting the skies this Memorial Day weekend are in luck, with average airfare for the long weekend averaging just $258 per round trip ticket. Prices are up 0.9% compared to this time last year, a difference of about +$2. 

Memorial Day weekend is a popular holiday weekend to kick off longer summer vacations to international destinations. International travelers are seeing great prices compared to last year, with airfare to Europe down 9% and airfare to Asia down 10% compared to this time last year. 

Accommodations 

Americans looking to book a hotel this Memorial Day weekend can expect prices averaging $194 per night. Prices are highest for stays on Friday and Saturday nights of the long weekend, with average rates on Saturday reaching $239 nationally. Prices drop for Sunday checkins, so travelers flexible on when they stay can save around $50 on average by shifting stays from Saturday to Sunday nights. 

Car Rentals

Car rentals for Memorial Day weekend are averaging $44 per day, in line with prices over the long weekend last year. Americans are renting for about 4 days total to cover their needs for the long weekend. Top pick up locations include warm weather cities like Orlando, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale. 

Most Booked Destinations for Memorial Day

Most American travelers will be headed to domestic destinations this Memorial Day weekend, with Las Vegas, Atlanta and Chicago currently ranking as the most popular cities for the long weekend. Some travelers are using the long weekend to get away to Caribbean hot spots like San Juan, Cancun and Punta Cana. 

Deals still available to book on Hopper

Domestic

• Atlanta, Georgia to Baltimore, Maryland for as low as $130 per round trip ticket

• Atlanta, Georgia to Indianapolis, Indiana for as low as $140 per round trip ticket

• Boston, Massachusetts to Baltimore, Maryland for as low as $160 per round trip ticket

• Boston, Massachusetts to Augusta, Maine for as low as $192 per round trip ticket

• Charlotte, North Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland for as low as $160 per round trip ticket

• Charlotte, North Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for as low as $190 per round trip ticket

• Chicago, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia for as low as $154 per round trip ticket

• Chicago, Illinois to Newark, New Jersey for as low as $220 per round trip ticket

• Dallas, Texas to Los Angeles, California for as low as $240 per round trip ticket

• Dallas, Texas to Louisville, Kentucky for as low as $240 per round trip ticket

• Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada for as low as $110 per round trip ticket

• Los Angeles, California to San Jose, California for as low as $163 per round trip ticket

• Miami, Florida to Orlando, Florida for as low as $152 per round trip ticket

• Miami, Florida to Tampa, Florida for as low as $182 per round trip ticket

• New York City, New York to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for as low as $140 per round trip ticket

• New York City, New York to Durham, North Carolina for as low as $170 per round trip ticket

International 

• Atlanta, Georgia to San Juan, Puerto Rico for as low as $350 per round trip ticket

• Atlanta, Georgia to Copenhagen, Denmark for as low as $730 per round trip ticket

• Boston, Massachusetts to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago for as low as $430 per round trip ticket

• Boston, Massachusetts to Reykjavik, Iceland for as low as $430 per round trip ticket

• Charlotte, North Carolina to San Juan, Puerto Rico for as low as $460 per round trip ticket

• Charlotte, North Carolina to Saint Thomas Island, United States Virgin Islands for as low as $630 per round trip ticket

• Chicago, Illinois to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for as low as $522 per round trip ticket

• Chicago, Illinois to Malaga, Spain for as low as $640 per round trip ticket

• Dallas, Texas to San Juan, Puerto Rico for as low as $370 per round trip ticket

• Dallas, Texas to Monterrey, Mexico for as low as $254 per round trip ticket

• Los Angeles, California to Mexico City, Mexico for as low as $473 per round trip ticket

• Los Angeles, California to Stockholm, Sweden for as low as $634 per round trip ticket

• Miami, Florida to Kingston, Jamaica for as low as $297 per round trip ticket

• Miami, Florida to Madrid, Spain for as low as $591 per round trip ticket

• New York City, New York to Guatemala City, Guatemala for as low as $360 per round trip ticket

• New York City, New York to Milan, Italy for as low as $664 per round trip ticket

MDW Travel Tips

• Check big cities for last-minute hotel deals: Hotels in big cities will typically lower prices as check in approaches and they are looking to fill empty rooms. Booking in the last 12-48 hours before check in can usually save travelers significantly on a weekend or weekday stay. Book a last-minute getaway or staycation and save more. Pro tip: if you’re local to the area, you may be eligible for special geo-fenced rates available to local guests.

• Take advantage of re-booking services: The last thing you want is for your trip to be derailed by delays and cancellations. For busy holiday weekends this summer, we recommend adding a re-booking service like Disruption Assistance offered on Hopper and other travel providers. When booking with this service, you can rebook your flight instantly, if you are delayed, canceled or you miss a connecting flight. 

• Take the first flight of the day: In general, flights departing after 9am are 2X more likely to be delayed than departures scheduled between 5-8am. To avoid travel disruption, fly as early in the morning as possible.

• Build in a buffer day: Don’t leave it to chance! Particularly for holiday weekends, it's always better to be safe by baking in an extra day to get to your destination. This way you’ll have some wiggle room, should any delays or disruptions interfere with your travel plans.