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As we all prepare to go home for Thanksgiving, I thought it would be interesting to show you some more insider flight schedule information to help you make the best holiday travel flying decision.
The following list shows each airline and the top 10 cities with the most added seats in the past year, along with the 10 cities with the most removed seats. The comparison uses our historical flight schedules for travel the day before Thanksgiving last year versus the most recent flight schedules for the day before Thanksgiving this year.
The idea is to provide you valuable information about your favorite airline (assuming you have one …) so that you can see which airlines and cities you might want to avoid (or travel on).
Click “more” for the list (and for more valuable info).
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This holiday season the airline industry is one small glitch away from stranding or delaying close to a million passengers (about 2.5 million commercial U.S. domestic seats flown each day paired with up to 30% delays and cancellations which occured this pas August 2007).
Here are the 4 main reasons this Holiday Season is poised to be the wost in history for delays and cancellations if/when any small air traffic glitch occurs:
- Over the past 2 1/2+ years most of the major airlines have reduced capacity by 20+% — causing load factors to go from mid 60% range to the mid 80% range (and higher this past summer)
- These airlines have also been removing all their large aircraft and switching them for more, smaller aircraft — moving the larger aircraft to more lucrative international routes while getting the U.S. domestic supply and demand equation on their side — making it easier for them to raise prices. (you’ll be hard pressed to find anything bigger than a 757 except on some limited coast to coast routes)
- Demand for air travel is not going away, but seats are, and those that are out there are on smaller airplanes
- This summer’s record breaking delays and cancellations didn’t occur on the busiest 2 days of the year for travel — the Sunday after and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
All things considered, the cities with more seats in the tables below provide more options if/when you get delayed — planes will be full to the gills — so be prepared. There are several other posts on holiday travel including the FareCompare.com Essential Thanksgiving Travel Checklist.
So here it is (seat counts are based on departing from the city – those with multiple airports are combined in the total):
Southwest Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- San Francisco – added 3,562 seats on 26 more flights
- Denver - added 3,273 seats on 24 more flights
- Orlando - added 2,603 seats on 19 more flights
- Las Vegas - added 2,252 seats on 16 more flights
- Dallas - added 1,595 seats on 10 more flights
- Chicago - added 1,432 seats on 11 more flights
- San Diego - added 1,370 seats on 10 more flights
- New Orleans - added 1,355 seats on 10 more flights
- Birmingham - added 1,081 seats on 8 more flights
- Tampa - added 974 seats on 7 more flights
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Phoenix - removed 822 seats on 6 less flights
- Islip Macarthur - removed 685 seats on 5 less flights
- Baltimore - removed 533 seats on 4 less flights
- Hartford - removed 411 seats on 3 less flights
- Cleveland - removed 411 seats on 3 less flights
- Philadelphia - removed 274 seats on 2 less flights
- San Antonio - removed 169 seats on 2 less flights (size differences on 737)
- Albany - removed 137 seats on 1 less flight
- Providence - removed 137 seats on 1 less flight
- Reno - removed 137 seats on 1 less flight
American Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- New York – added 942 seats on 5 more flights
- Miami - added 533 seats on 4 more flights
- Austin - added 526 seats on 4 more flights
- Dallas - added 478 seats on12 more flights
- Minneapolis - added 452 seats on 4 more flights
- Tulsa - added 410 seats on 2 more flights
- Kansas City - added 338 seats on 9 more flights
- Fayetteville - added 279 seats on 7 more flights
- Raleigh Durham - added 268 seats (bigger planes same flights)
- Las Vegas - added 208 seats (bigger planes same flights)
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- St. Louis – removed 939 seats on 32 less flights
- Chicago - removed 777 seats on 8 less flights
- Seattle - removed 468 seats (smaller planes same flights)
- Denver - removed 434 seats on 5 less flights
- Boston - removed 356 seats on15 less flights
- Newark - removed 350 seats on 5 less flights
- Baltimore - removed 346 seats on 3 less flights
- Houston - removed 328 seats on 3 less flights
- Orlando - removed 310 seats on 2 less flights
- Honolulu - removed 281 seats on 1 less flight
Continental Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- New Orleans – added 189 seats on 1 more flight
- Portland - added 140 seats on 1 more flight
- Cleveland - added 95 seats on 11 less flights (smaller planes)
- Ft. Lauderdale – added 73 on 1 more flight
- South Bend – added 72 seats (bigger planes)
- Jackson - added 73 seats on 1 more flight
- Fayetteville - added 63 seats on 1 more flight
- Charlotte - added 63 seats on 1 more flight
- Erie - added 54 seats (bigger planes)
- Oklahoma City - added 50 seats on 1 more flight
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Houston - removed 2,556 seats on 33 less flights
- Newark - removed 1,081 seats on 17 less flights
- Chicago - removed 738 seats on 7 less flights
- Dallas - removed 388 seats on 1 less flight
- Tampa - removed 267 seats on 1 less flight
- Los Angeles – removed 262 seats on 1 less flight
- Buffalo - removed 239 seats on 7 less flights
- Detroit - removed 189 seats on 1 less flight
- Palm Beach – removed 153 seats on 3 less flights
- Bakersfield - removed 150 seats on 3 less flights
Delta Air Lines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Los Angeles - added 2,768 seats on 49 more flights
- New York - added 1,038 seats
- Seattle - added 662 seats on 6 more flights
- Phoenix - added 549 seats on 7 more flights
- Salt Lake City – added 430 seats on 7 more flights
- Charleston - added 367 seats on 4 new flights
- Chicago - added 328 seats on 3 new flights
- Charlotte - added 317 seats on 1 new flight
- Portland, OR – added 304 seats on 2 new flights
- Oakland - added 301 seats on 5 different flights
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Atlanta - removed 1,618 seats
- Cincinnati- removed 1044 seats on 6 less flights
- Orlando - removed 794 seats on 6 less flights
- Ft. Lauderdale - removed 585 seats on 3 less flights
- Washington DC - removed 472 seats on 1 less flight
- Boston - removed 388 seats on 13 flights
- Tampa - removed 361 seats on 4 flights
- Nashville - removed 262 seats on 1 less flight
- Pensacola - removed 258 seats on 3 less flights
- Memphis - removed 254 seats on 1 less flight
Northwest Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- New York – added 558 seats on 3 more flights
- Las Vegas – added 294 seats on 1 more flight
- Seattle - added 200 seats on 1 more flight
- Madison - added 199 seats on 1 new flight
- Denver - added 174 seats (no new flights)
- Charlotte - added 162 seats on 1 new flight
- Duluth, WI – added 148 seats on 1 new flight
- Dallas - added 121 new seats on 1 new flight
- Philadelphia - added 104 seats (no new flights)
- Saginaw - added 101 seats (no new flights)
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Detroit - removed 2,997 seats on 10 less flights
- Minneapolis - removed 1,135 on 3 less flights
- Pittsburgh - removed 489 seats on 1 less flight
- Milwaukee - removed 488 seats on 3 less flights
- Memphis - removed 470 seats on 1 less flight
- Indianapolis- removed 420 seats on 4 less flights
- Great Falls – removed 396 seats on 2 less flights
- Ft. Lauderdale – removed 356 seats on 2 less flights
- Tampa - removed 347 seats on 2 less flights
- Washington DC- removed 324 seats on 2 less flights
US Airways *combined with America West
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Charlotte - added 2,372 seats on 8 more flights
- Orlando - added 266 seats on 2 more flights
- Morgantown - added 170 seats on 5 more flights
- Memphis - added 146 seats on 1 more flight
- Fresno- added 142 seats (no new flights)
- Cleveland - added 138 seats on 1 less flight
- Clarksburg - added 136 seats on 4 more flights
- Savannah - added 132 seats on 2 more flights
- Louisville - added 120 seats on 2 more flights
- Anchorage - added 116 seats on 1 more flight
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Las Vegas – removed 3,880 seats on 22 less flights
- Pittsburgh - removed 3,565 seats on 60 less flights
- Philadelphia - removed 2,929 seats on 19 less flights
- Phoenix - removed 1,702 seats on 12 less flights
- Washington DC – removed 773 seats on 4 less flights
- Providence - removed 560 seats on 2 less flights
- Ft. Lauderdale – removed 524 seats on 2 less flights
- Syracuse - removed 519 seats on 8 less flights
- Denver - removed 450 seats on 4 less flights
- Los Angeles – removed 400 seats on 2 less flights
United Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Honolulu - added 501 seats (no more flights)
- San Francisco - added 437 seats on 3 more flights
- Orange County – added 306 seats on 1 more flight
- Raleigh/Durham - added 268 seats (no more flights)
- Kahului - added 236 seats (no more flights)
- Seattle - added 183 seats on 1 more flight
- Huntsville, AL - added 166 seats on 3 more flights
- Ft. Lauderdale - added 156 seats on 1 more flight
- Little Rock - added 150 seats on 3 more flights
- San Antonio - added 132 seats on 2 more flights
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Washington DC – removed 1,929 seats on 34 less flights
- Boston - removed 838 seats on 6 less flights
- New York - removed 828 seats on 7 less flights
- Los Angeles - removed 719 seats on 13 less flights
- Sacramento - removed 478 seats on 2 less flights
- Dallas - removed 458 seats on 3 less flights
- Phoenix - removed 346 seats on 3 less flights
- Tampa - removed 312 seats on 2 less flights
- Omaha - removed 308 seats
- Orlando - removed 294 seats on 2 less flights
Jet Blue
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Ft. Lauderdale - added 958 seats on 9 more flights
- Orlando - added 868 seats on 8 more flights
- Chicago - added 800 seats on 7 more flights
- Newburgh, NY - added 750 seats on 5 more flights
- San Francisco - added 750 seats on 5 more flights
- White Plains - added 700 seats on 5 more flights
- Salt Lake City - added 282 seats on 2 more flights
- San Diego - added 282 seats on 2 more flights
- Las Vegas - added 258 seats on 2 more flights
- Boston – added 164 seats on 1 more flight
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- New York - removed 1,014 seats (1 more flight)
- Oakland - removed 696 seats on 4 less flights
- Ft. Myers – removed 384 seats on 2 less flights
- Sacramento - removed 174 seats on 1 less flight
- Houston - removed 68 seats
- Phoenix - removed 168 seats on 1 less flight
- Jacksonville - removed 118 seats
- Columbus, OH - removed 100 seats on 1 less flight
- Pittsburgh - removed 100 seats on 1 less flight
- Portland, ME - removed 100 seats on 1 less flight
Alaska Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Seattle - added 1,705 seats (1 less flight)
- Portland, OR - added 1,576 on 8 more flights
- Anchorage - added 771 seats on 1 more flight
- Fairbanks - added 372 seats on 2 more flights
- Santa Rosa, CA - added 370 seats on 5 more flights
- Spokane - added 356 seats on 4 more flights
- Kotzbue, AK - added 210 seats
- Nome - added 210 seats
- Bethel, AK - added 210 seats
- Sacramento - added 206 seats on 3 more flights
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- San Francisco - removed 635 seats on 5 less flights
- San Diego - removed 218 seats on 1 less flight
- Long Beach - removed 124 seats on 1 less flight
- Aleneva - removed 115 seats on 1 less flight
- Kalispell - removed 74 seats on 1 less flight
- Missoula- removed 74 seats on 1 less flight
- Ketchikan, AK - removed 72 seats
- Petersburg - removed 72 seats
- Wrangell, AK - removed 72 seats
- Phoenix - removed 66 seats
Frontier Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Denver - added 1,886 seats on 21 more flights
- Memphis - added 604 seats on 5 more flights
- Orlando - added 396 seats on 3 more flights
- Indianapolis - added 264 seats on 2 more flights
- Wichita - added 228 seats on 3 more flights
- Louisville - added 190 seats on 2 more flights
- Sioux City - added 152 seats on 2 more flights
- Rapid City, SD – added 152 seats on 2 more flights
- Baton Rouge – added 152 seats on 2 more flights
- Orange County, CA – added 132 seats on 1 more flight
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Los Angeles - removed 756 seats on 6 less flights
- San Francisco - removed 624 seats on 5 less flights
- Dallas - removed 318 seats on 2 less flights
- Chicago - removed 264 seats on 2 less flights
- Phoenix - removed 264 seats on 2 less flights
- Fresno - removed 140 seats on 2 less flights
- Washington DC- removed 132 seats on 1 less flight
- Sacramento - removed 132 seats on 1 less flight
- Kansas City - removed 114 seats on 1 less flight
- Reno - removed 114 seats on 1 less flight
Midwest Airlines
Top 10 Cities with Added Seats
- Milwaukee - added 802 seats on 12 more flights
- Kansas City - added 776 seats on 14 more flights
- Seattle - added 231 seats on 2 more flights
- Los Angeles - added 176 seats on 2 more flights
- Omaha - added 156 seats on 2 more flights
- Raleigh/Durham – added 150 seats on 3 more flights
- Columbus - added 136 seats on 2 more flights
- Austin - added 100 seats on 2 more flights
- Charlotte - added 100 seats on 2 more flights
- Colorado Springs - added 100 seats on 2 more flights
Top 10 Cities with Removed Seats
- Minneapolis/St. Paul – removed 114 seats
- Denver - removed 88 seats on 1 less flight
- Tampa- removed 82 seats on 1 less flight
- Newark - removed 64 seats on 1 less flight
- Marquette - removed 38 seats on 2 less flights
- Las Vegas – removed 36 seats
- Orlando - removed 27 seats on 1 less flight
- San Antonio - removed 26 seats on 1 more flight (smaller planes)
- Philadelphia - removed 26 seats on 1 more flight (smaller planes)
- Iron Mountain - removed 19 seats on 1 less flight
Virgin America Airlines
Top 5 Cities with Added Seats
- San Francisco – added 2,309 seats on 16 more flights
- Los Angeles - added 1,763 seats on 12 more flights
- New York – added 1,291 seats on 9 more flights
- Las Vegas – added 596 seats on 4 more flights
- Washington DC - added 596 seats on 4 more flights
