10 airports to avoid if you're flying during the holiday season

Flickr/BriYYZ

A Delta Boeing 777 at Los Angeles International Airport.

• Airlines For America or A4A expects 45.7 million passengers will fly on US airlines during the Christmas holiday travel season between December 20 and January 6, 2019.
• That's an increase of 5.2% over 2017.
• A4A is a trade group that represents major US airlines including American, United, JetBlue, Southwest, and Alaska.
• The busiest travel days are expected to be December 21, December 20, and December 26.
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Chicago O'Hare, and Los Angeles International are expected to be the busiest airports in the US.

The holiday travel season is in full swing. Airlines For America or A4A expects 45.7 million passengers will fly on US airlines between December 20 and January 6, 2019.

That's a 5.2% increase over the same period last year, according to the trade group that represents major US airlines including American, United, JetBlue, Southwest, and Alaska.

This growth represents an increase of 126,000 passengers per day. To cope with the surge in demand, A4A expects airlines to offer an additional 143,000 seats per day during the peak travel period.

Read more: Delta's CEO just reignited the nastiest feud in the airline industry by accusing Qatar Airways of violating a deal with Trump administration.

"With airfares at historic lows, travelers are choosing to fly on U.S. airlines in record numbers, especially during the busy holiday season," John Heimlich, A4A vice president and chief economist, said in a statement.

The busiest travel days are expected to be December 21, December 20, and December 26.

As a result, airports around the country are going to be packed even more so than usual. Last year, five of the 20 busiest airports in the world were located in the US. This included the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, which hosted nearly 104 million passengers.

Los Angeles International or LAX is the second busiest airport in the US and the fifth busiest in the world with just under 85 million travelers. Chicago's O'Hare International comes in third place in the US and sixth place worldwide with nearly 80 million passengers annually.

To give you a better idea of which US airport will likely be the most crowded, here's a breakdown of the 10 busiest airports in the US based on passenger numbers.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider