Airlines for America projects U.S. airlines will carry 28.5 million passengers over the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period. The total is up 3 percent from 2016, with an increase of 69,000 individuals. Airlines are well prepared; however, with 86,000 more seats available than last year.

The 2017 Thanksgiving air-travel period is Nov. 17–26, with the busiest day projected as Nov. 26. Other busy days include Nov. 22 and 17. The lightest projected day is Thanksgiving itself, Nov. 23. Daily passenger volumes may range from 1.61 million to 2.88 million.

“Airline passengers continue to benefit from the highly competitive air-service landscape this holiday season, as low fares and increased availability of seats continue to make air travel widely accessible,” said John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist, Airlines for America.

While air travel is up, airline profits have diminished compared to last year. During the first nine months of 2017, nine U.S. carriers reported a combined pre-tax profit of $14.7 billion. In 2016, during the same period, the reported profit was $18.4 billion. Although actual revenue rose this year, expenses rose further, with labor costs up by 8.1 percent and fuel costs up by 17 percent.