O'Hare Among Cheaper Airports to Fly Out of This Thanksgiving: Report

Almost 47 million Americans will travel for Thanksgiving this year, and if you’re planning to fly out of O’Hare International Airport, you may be getting a good deal.

O’Hare is one of the cheaper airports to fly out of this Thanksgiving, according to the Q3 2015 Global Travel Insights report by Sojern.

The cost of flying out of O’Hare is 6 percent less than the nationwide median booking price of $500, Sojern analysts say.

The report found John F. Kennedy International Airport is the most expensive origin airport for Thanksgiving travel this year, at 26 percent over the median, closely followed by San Francisco International Airport, at 21 percent over.

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the cheapest origin option in the study, at 33 percent under the median, with Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport at 18 percent less.

The travel insights report considered the biggest air hubs with available data, and the results aren’t meant to be comprehensive, said Camelia Gendreau, director of public relations and communications for Sojern.

“All this data is meant to help people figure out if it’s cheaper to fly out of one airport or another,” Gendreau said. “Knowing the prices could help you plan better for Thanksgiving travel.”

The 2015 Thanksgiving holiday travel period in the report is defined as departures from Nov. 23 to 26 and returns between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1. Sojern used traveler intent profiles and early search patterns up until Oct. 6 to create the report.

Of the top five origination markets — the places where the most people are leaving from — Chicago is No. 3 for Thanksgiving travel this year, the report states.

As a Thanksgiving holiday destination, Chicago is the second most-searched destination for 2015. It was also second in 2014.

New York is the top dog of searched Thanksgiving travel destinations on Sojern’s rank.

Dallas was No. 3 in 2014, but Miami has overtaken the Texas city to claim that third-top spot for 2015. Dallas dropped to No. 4 this year, followed by Los Angeles at No. 5, which fell from No. 4 in 2014. San Francisco, which clung to the No. 5 spot in 2014, has disappeared from the 2015 rank.

More people are drawn to make solo flights to Chicago than full-family vacations. Of the people headed to Chicago for Thanksgiving, 69 percent are going alone, the report states.

The Chicago Department of Aviation should release estimates the week of Nov. 22 for this year’s Thanksgiving travel passenger expectations, said Karen Pride, director of media relations for the department.

Last year, airline projections indicated more than 1.9 million passengers would travel through Chicago’s airports over the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday period. The estimate said about 1.4 million travelers were predicted for O’Hare and 530,000 expected flyers through Chicago Midway International Airport.

AAA Travel predicts the most Americans since 2007 will go 50 miles or more from home for Thanksgiving this year. The corporation defines Thanksgiving travel this year as Nov. 25 to Nov. 29.

In Illinois, 2.5 million travelers are forecast for the holiday, with 2.2 million people going by car and about 185,000 by airplane, AAA Travel reports.