CHICAGO, Nov. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The holidays are a time-honored tradition, but before the carving of the turkey and the trimming of the tree, travelers must first face the crowds at the airports. The latest Orbitz Insider Index using flight bookings data from Orbitz.com ranks LAX, Chicago's O'Hare and JFK in New York City as the busiest airports this Thanksgiving, so travelers should allow extra time for lines particularly when traveling through those airports.
"We're seeing the same high-traffic holiday destinations this year as we did last with only two newcomers to the busiest airports list," said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior travel editor for Orbitz.com. "Thankfully, there are a number of new additions to the Least Busy Airports list, with several offering alternative options to large metro areas. By shopping around, and maybe spending a little extra time in the car—but less time in the airport—travelers can save their sanity, and in many cases time and money, by departing from one of these suggestions."
Busiest & Least Busy Airports
The Orbitz Insider Index analyzes booking data from the top 50 U.S. airports over the Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 26 - Dec. 1, 2014) and gives travelers some baseline guidance on where they can expect the largest and smallest crowds this year. While New York's LaGuardia Airport fell out of the top 10 busiest list this year, John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City joins the list, taking the spot below LAX and O'Hare. Denver, a popular holiday ski destination, drops off the busiest list this year, falling to the number 11 spot.
Orbitz also provides a list of less crowded alternative airports for travelers looking to avoid the zoo at the airports. This year's list is made up almost entirely of newcomers – John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. and Syracuse Hancock International in Syracuse, N.Y. are the only returning airports on the list. Opting for these less busy airports can mean saving time over the busy holiday travel timeframe, and arriving less haggard.
| Orbitz Insider Index: Busiest Airports for Thanksgiving 20141 | ||||
| 2014 Rank | Airport Name | Location/Market | Airport Code | 2013 Rank |
| 1 | Los Angeles International | Los Angeles, CA | LAX | 1 |
| 2 | Chicago O'Hare International | Chicago, IL | ORD | 2 |
| 3 | John F. Kennedy International Airport | New York, NY | JFK | N/A |
| 4 | San Francisco International | San Francisco, CA | SFO | 4 |
| 5 | Boston Logan International | Boston, MA | BOS | 5 |
| 6 | Newark Liberty International | Newark, NJ | EWR | 9 |
| 7 | Sea-Tac International | Seattle, WA | SEA | 7 |
| 8 | Minneapolis-St. Paul International | Minneapolis, MN | MSP | 10 |
| 9 | Philadelphia International Airport | Philadelphia, PA | PHL | N/A |
| 10 | Ronald Reagan National Airport | Washington, D.C. | DCA | 6 |
| Orbitz Insider Index: Least Busy Airports for Thanksgiving 20142 | ||||
| 2014 Rank | Airport Name | Location/Market | Airport Code | 2013 Rank |
| 1 | Kent County International Airport | Grand Rapids, MI | GRR | N/A |
| 2 | Syracuse Hancock International | Syracuse, NY | SYR | 1 |
| 3 | John Wayne Airport | Orange County, CA | SNA | 10 |
| 4 | Palm Beach International Airport | West Palm Beach, FL | PBI | N/A |
| 5 | Metropolitan Oakland International Airport | Oakland, FL | OAK | N/A |
| 6 | Jacksonville International Airport | Jacksonville, FL | JAX | N/A |
| 7 | Eppley Airfield | Omaha, NE | OMA | N/A |
| 8 | Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport | Cincinnati, OH | CVG | N/A |
| 9 | Honolulu International Airport | Honolulu, HI | HNL | N/A |
| 10 | Southwest Florida International Airport | Fort Meyers, FL | RSW | N/A |
Extreme Holiday Savings
Heading into one of the biggest holidays of the year, Orbitz is offering travelers some respite on the cost front with two promotions kicking off prior to Thanksgiving. The "Zap That Bag Fee" is again helping fliers save on checked baggage fees, while a new partnership with Visa Checkout is giving those that book roundtrip flights $100 off qualifying hotels starting Nov. 12 – just in time for Turkey Day.
Back by popular demand, Orbitz is alleviating the baggage fee pain point for travelers with the return of the "Zap That Bag Fee" promotion. Orbitz Rewards loyalty members who purchase their flight through Orbitz can activate the "Zap that Bag Fee" feature on the Orbitz app and simply upload an image of their checked baggage fee receipt to earn $25 in Orbucks through Dec. 31, 2014.
Beyond checked bags, travelers can reap major rewards for using Visa Checkout on Orbitz. To celebrate the new partnership, those that book a roundtrip flight on Orbitz using Visa Checkout will get $100 off qualifying hotel stays through the holidays. Visit www.orbitz.com/visacheckout for more details.3
For more insights from Orbitz on holiday travel and to find special deals, visit the Orbitz special Holiday Travel Guide.
1Busiest airports data based on all Orbitz.com air ticket bookings (standalone and as part of a package) to the top 50 airports with arrivals and departures between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1, 2014.
2Least busy airports data based on all Orbitz.com air ticket bookings (standalone and as part of a package) to the top 50 airports with arrivals and departures between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1, 2014.
3Limited time only, while supplies last. Offer good through 11/23/14 or while supplies last. Discount applies to qualifying hotel stays from 11/13/14 – 6/30/15. See terms and conditions: www.orbitz.com/visacheckout
About Orbitz.com
Orbitz.com is a leading travel website that enables consumers to search for and book a broad range of hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and destination activities. Since launching in June 2001, Orbitz.com has become one of the world's largest online travel sites. Orbitz.com now offers the groundbreaking Orbitz Rewards loyalty program—the only program where customers can earn rewards immediately on flights, hotels and packages, and redeem instantly on tens of thousands of hotels worldwide. Use the Orbitz Rewards Visa® Card to earn even more rewards. Orbitz.com is the #1 way to book travel on mobile devices, be it using our apps (get them at www.orbitz.com/mobile) or our smartphone-optimized website (m.orbitz.com), both of which are tailored for smartphones and tablets. The Orbitz app won the 2014 Appy Award for best travel app. Orbitz also ranks #1 in Online Travel Website Customer Satisfaction in the 2014 American Customer Satisfaction Index. Follow Orbitz on Facebook, Twitter and through the Orbitz Travel Blog. Orbitz.com is operated by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW).
About Orbitz Worldwide
Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW) is a leading global online travel company using technology to transform the way consumers around the world plan and purchase travel. Orbitz Worldwide operates the consumer travel planning sites Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), ebookers (www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (www.hotelclub.com) and CheapTickets (www.cheaptickets.com). Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Partner Network (www.orbitz.com/OPN) delivers private label travel technology solutions to a broad range of partners including some of the world`s largest airlines and travel agencies, and Orbitz for Business (www.orbitzforbusiness.com) delivers managed travel solutions for companies of all sizes. Orbitz Worldwide makes investor relations information available at investors.orbitz.com.