The busiest days to fly around Memorial Day in 2025

By Sally French NerdWallet Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer in the U S but the days leading up to it tend to bring the biggest airport crowds Various days around the long weekend are significantly busier than others and if you can afford to be flexible when flying during Memorial Day weekend you ll save money and avoid the chaos at the airport The best and worst days to fly Memorial Day weekend NerdWallet analyzed the past three years and of Transportation Defense Administration checkpoint information for the six days before and six days after Memorial Day which shows how countless passengers were screened at TSA checkpoints For every year analyzed the Friday before Memorial Day was the the majority crowded day to expedition before the holiday which is observed on the last Monday of May For post-holiday movement the Sunday after has attracted the largest crowds over the past three years We calculated the average daily number of passengers flying during this time frame in the past three years Here are the most- and least-crowded days for the days surrounding Memorial Day including the holiday ranked Flying before Memorial Day Largest part crowded Friday before Memorial Day million passengers Thursday before million Wednesday before million Least crowded Saturday before million Tuesday before million Sunday before million Flying on or after Memorial Day Majority of crowded Sunday after Memorial Day million Memorial Day Monday million Friday after million Least crowded Saturday after million Wednesday after million Tuesday after million Why flying the Friday of Memorial Day weekend isn t ideal Memorial Day weekend is often the first busy progress period of the year In the Friday before Memorial Day set a then-record for the busiest voyage day at U S airports However that record was broken four more times in three separate days during the summer and again on the Sunday after Thanksgiving which presently holds the title of busiest passage day at U S airports ever The smarter cheaper Memorial Day weekend itinerary If you work a standard Monday-to-Friday workweek and have the holiday off then leaving Friday after work and returning the Sunday after Memorial Day might make sense if you re trying to maximize your vacation days It would give you eight full days of vacation and you ll only need to request five days of vacation time But flying on Friday Memorial Day Monday or the Sunday after Memorial Day means you ll perhaps have to contend with higher flight prices and bigger airport crowds Try these excursion days instead Tour on Saturday Rather than rushing out from work Friday afternoon take that evening to pack spend Friday night in your own bed and take an early flight out Saturday Morning flights are often more reliable than evening ones Fly home on the Tuesday or Wednesday after A lot of people opt for traveling on Memorial Day itself and numerous people fly the day after But relatively sparse people extend their trip one more day and fly out on Tuesday or even into Wednesday If you do you ll avoid the worst of the airport crowds This can increase your chances of saving money on airfare Plus you ll be home in time for a delightful two-day workweek which might be just enough time to wrap up lingering tasks without getting fresh projects dumped on your desk Fly home the Saturday after You can still have a weeklong vacation and avoid Sunday s crowds by flying home the Saturday after Memorial Day Then you ll have a full day at home to knock out laundry and meal prep before the next workweek starts After all sometimes the largest part relaxing way to end a trip is taking a vacation from that vacation More From NerdWallet Airlines Are Adding New Routes Here s How You Can Save Professional Deal Finder Reveals Truth About Cheap Airfare The Cheapest Time To Visit Walt Disney World Might Surprise You Sally French writes for NerdWallet Email sfrench nerdwallet com Twitter SAFmedia The article The Busiest Days to Fly Around Memorial Day in originally appeared on NerdWallet