Star Alliance member United Airlines is gearing up for its busiest Memorial Day weekend in the carrier’s history, with an astounding three million passengers expected onboard. This represents a 5% increase compared to last year.

Each day between May 23 and 28, more than half a million travelers will check-in, head to the airport, and then take a flight with the Chicago-based carrier. This number of passengers represents up to three takeoffs every minute, reaching 4,400 flights daily over the holiday period. With 25,000 more passengers per day than witnessed over Spring Break this year, the airline expects the busiest day as May 23, which will see 520,000 booked to travel.

Popular destinations

Escaping somewhere warm seems to be at the top of everyone’s Memorial Day travel list, with Orlando and Las Vegas remaining popular domestic choices; however, heading south of the border, the Mexican destinations of Oaxaca International Airport (OAX) and Tampico International Airport (TAM) seeing a 30% increase in demand, both of these destinations are served directly to Houston Intercontinental (IAH), by United, with Oaxaca only having international competition from close neighbor American Airlines, witit’s’s direct service to Dallas Fort/Worth.

Further afield, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Tokyo Narita, Japan, have seen year-on-year double-digit growth across the Memorial Day weekend.

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By Aaron Bailey via SimpleFlying