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

(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 has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.