Airline group says Christmas travel will rise 5.2 per cent

U.S. airlines expect a 5.2 per cent increase in air travel during the Christmas and New Year's break, to more than 2.5 million people a day.

The busiest day is expected to be the Friday before Christmas.

The trade group Airlines for America said Tuesday it forecasts that 45.7 million passengers will fly on a U.S. airline during the 18-day stretch that starts Thursday, Dec. 20, and runs through Jan. 6, the Sunday after New Year's Day.

The group says that since last Christmas, airlines have added 143,000 seats per day on domestic and international flights. They are hoping that's enough to handle the expected increase of 126,000 passengers a day.

Old-fashioned news

I scrolled through the comment section of the online news story, my eyes darting through differing opinions until I landed on one that caught my attention. I felt my shoulders tense and my breath quicken as I read the fiery thoughts of a stranger.

Surely, there must be a better way to read the news?

I thought back to the ’90s. Every morning, my mother would open the front door to retrieve the Winnipeg Free Press. I would jump at the Arts section until I found the comics and giggle while I ate my cereal. My parents absorbed the news while getting ready for their day, and eventually the newspaper found its way to the top of the paper pile in the garage. The next morning, the cycle would repeat itself.