Airlines group says this might be the busiest U.S. summer travel season ever

An airplane takes off from LAX.
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

A trade group is estimating that this summer, U.S. airlines will carry 222 million passengers from June to August — up 4.5 percent from the same time in 2014.

"The continued rise in U.S. consumer sentiment and employment is leading to more people traveling more often," Airlines for America chief economist John Heimlich said in a statement. The group reports that the top three nonstop international destinations from the United States are Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and carriers are increasing the number of seats available for booking by 4.6 percent in order to accommodate the demand.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.