Airlines prepping for busiest Memorial Day weekend since before pandemic

U.S. airlines are gearing up for the busiest Memorial Day holiday since before the pandemic.

United Airlines said it's preparing for its busiest Memorial Day in over a decade, expecting to carry nearly 2.9 million passengers from Thursday May 25 to Tuesday May 30.

The airline said it will see the most passengers Friday, May 26, when it expects to transport 500,000 customers.

Delta Air Lines said it's expecting to fly 2.8 million customers over the holiday – a 17% increase from the number of passengers it flew during last year's Memorial Day weekend.

American Airlines said it will carry more than 2.9 million customers, operating over 26,000 flights this upcoming holiday.

"The busiest airports over Memorial Day weekend will be Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles, all with more than half a million passengers departing over the weekend," Haley Berg, economist at Hopper, said in an interview with ABC.

According to AAA, airports could see the busiest Memorial Day Weekend since 2005, with 5.4% more passengers than 2019.

"Despite high ticket prices, demand for flights is skyrocketing," AAA said in a news release.