Airlines for America predicts U.S. airlines will carry 16.1 million passengers worldwide over the Labor Day travel period. The number is a 5 percent increase over the passenger totals from Labor Day 2016. To accommodate the more than 110,000 passengers per day over the weekend, airlines are adding 133,000 extra seats per day, Aug. 30–Sept. 5.

The projected busiest airports for the official end of summer include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and O’Hare International Airport, and Friday, Sept. 1, is the projected busiest day.

“As household wealth increases, ticket prices remain low and airlines large and small continue to grow, consumers are finding it easier and more affordable than ever to get away for personal or family travel. While we expect a growth in passenger traffic over the Labor Day holiday, flyers can rest assured that U.S. airlines have appropriately increased the number of seats available for their late summer getaways,” said John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist, Airlines for America.

During the first half of the year, U.S. airlines completed 98.55 percent of domestic flights, down by about 0.20 percent over last year. Airlines had a 78.66 percent on-time arrival rate, down from 81.42 percent. However, the mishandled baggage rate improved, down to 2.54 per 1,000 passengers (the lowest level ever), as did the rate of involuntarily denied boardings, to 0.52 per 10,000 passengers, also the lowest level ever.

“Airlines regularly invest in their workforce and new technologies, and put in place processes to improve operations and enhance the customer experience,” said Heimlich. “The industry’s nearly 99-percent flight completion rate and record-low rates of involuntarily denied boardings and mishandled baggage reflect these investments.”