About 41 million passengers are expected to take a flight this holiday season, which is down 2.5 percent from last year.
According to the Air Transport Association of America, the decline is attributed to the economic recession. The industry trade group defines the holiday travel season as the 21-day span between Dec. 17 and Jan. 6.
"We are continuing to see fewer air travelers over the holidays, a trend that has been apparent throughout 2009," said ATA chief executive James May. "Capacity reductions will likely mean fuller flights on many days."
The three busiest travel days are expected to be Sunday, Dec.28, Monday, Dec. 28, and Tuesday, Dec. 29, the group said. Last year, an estimated 42 million passengers traveled during the same holiday time period.


