Carriers to add seats during holidays

U.S. airlines will make 99,000 additional seats available during the 21day period from Dec. 16 to Jan. 5, according to the airline industry trade organization Airlines for America.

Houston’s Bush Intercontinental will be among the nation’s 10 busiest airports during that time, the group said.

An estimated 45.2 million people will fly on U.S. carriers during that period, Airlines for America forecasts. That’s an increase of 3.5 percent from the same period a year ago and equates to 73,000 more passengers per day.

The busiest days are expected to be Thursday and Friday, Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, with up to 2.4 million traveling on those days.

The lightest travel days are forecast to be Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle Twenty-nine passenger airlines fly to nearly 200 destinations nonstop from Bush Intercontinental.