Summary
- United Airlines expects its busiest Memorial Day weekend with three million passengers, a 5% increase from last year.
- Popular destinations include warm spots domestically like Orlando and Las Vegas, with international choices like Oaxaca and Tampico.
- United urges passengers to stay patient over the holiday weekend, advising online check-in and introducing MileagePlus miles pooling.
Star Alliance member United Airlines is gearing up for its busiest Memorial Day weekend in the carrier’s history, with an astounding three million passengers expected onboard. This represents a 5% increase compared to last year. Each day between May 23 and 28, more than half a million travelers will check-in, head to the airport, and then take a flight with the Chicago-based carrier. This number of passengers represents up to three takeoffs every minute, reaching 4,400 flights daily over the holiday period.
Photo: Mesa Airlines
With 25,000 more passengers per day than witnessed over Spring Break this year, the airline expects the busiest day as May 23, which will see 520,000 booked to travel.
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Popular destinations
Escaping somewhere warm seems to be at the top of everyone’s Memorial Day travel list, with Orlando and Las Vegas remaining popular domestic choices; however, heading south of the border, the Mexican destinations of Oaxaca International Airport (OAX) and Tampico International Airport (TAM) seeing a 30% increase in demand, both of these destinations are served directly to Houston Intercontinental (IAH), by United, with Oaxaca only having international competition from close neighbor American Airlines, witit’s’s direct service to Dallas Fort/Worth.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Further afield, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Tokyo Narita, Japan, have seen year-on-year double-digit growth across the Memorial Day weekend.
Stay calm and be patient.
United is pleading with passengers to stay calm and remain patient over the Memorial Day weekend, as passenger numbers are expected to surge. The airline reminds travelers that they can save time at the airport by checking in online or via the United mobile app, which has many features such as mobile check-in, bag drop shortcuts, and terminal maps.
If you are a frequent flier with United’s MileagePlus, you can now request your top seat choice if it isn’t available during booking; the carrier will not automatically assign and notify you when your preferred seat is available. And, if you’re making a group booking with the airline, its recent announcement of MileagePlus miles pooling means multiple members can now share and redeem miles through a linked account.
Photo: GingChen | Shutterstock
It has been a positive start to the year for the airline. In April, the carrier carried around 486,000 passengers daily, marking its ninth consecutive month as one of the industry’s most on-time airlines. United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, celebrated the upcoming plans, releasing this statement:
“This will be the biggest Memorial Day and Summer travel season in United’s 98-year history. We’re making it easier than ever for people to get to the places they love by flying bigger planes with better amenities to more places – across the country and around the globe.”
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