Christmas 2026 at STL Airport: The Busiest Days to Fly
Christmas falls on Friday, December 25, 2026. If this year follows last year, the most crowded days at the airport will be the Sunday after Christmas and the days around New Year's. In 2025, TSA's busiest day between mid December and early January was Sunday, December 28, with 2,924,593 people screened nationwide. Black Car Service airport car service from Lambert starts at $100, and our flat fares do not go up for the holidays.
What TSA counted last year
| Date | Day | People screened |
|---|---|---|
| December 19, 2025 | Friday | 2,824,905 |
| December 20, 2025 | Saturday | 2,748,731 |
| December 21, 2025 | Sunday | 2,769,228 |
| December 22, 2025 | Monday | 2,795,090 |
| December 23, 2025 | Tuesday | 2,822,653 |
| December 24, 2025 | Wednesday (Christmas Eve) | 2,236,205 |
| December 25, 2025 | Thursday (Christmas Day) | 2,066,118 |
| December 26, 2025 | Friday | 2,716,278 |
| December 27, 2025 | Saturday | 2,804,814 |
| December 28, 2025 | Sunday | 2,924,593 |
| December 29, 2025 | Monday | 2,811,757 |
| December 30, 2025 | Tuesday | 2,827,572 |
| December 31, 2025 | Wednesday (New Year's Eve) | 2,291,360 |
| January 1, 2026 | Thursday (New Year's Day) | 2,334,465 |
| January 2, 2026 | Friday | 2,578,209 |
| January 3, 2026 | Saturday | 2,604,749 |
| January 4, 2026 | Sunday | 2,817,509 |
These are national totals from tsa.gov, not Lambert alone, but they show which days fill up. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were the quietest days in the table. In 2026 Christmas lands one day later in the week, so the matching Sunday after Christmas is December 27, and the Sunday after New Year's is January 3, 2027. For comparison, the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2025 was TSA's busiest day of that whole year, at 3,134,613.
Lambert checkpoint hours
- ●Terminal 1, A gates: 3:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., for Air Canada, Delta, United and charter flights.
- ●Terminal 1, C gates: 3:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., for Alaska, American and Frontier.
- ●Terminal 2, E and F gates: 3:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., for Southwest and international charter arrivals.
Hours are from flystl.com. The TSA advises arriving 2 hours before your scheduled boarding time, and the airport asks travelers to allow more time than normal during holidays.
Drive times to Lambert
| From | Distance to Terminal 1 | Drive without traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | 9.1 miles | 14 minutes |
| Downtown St. Louis (Enterprise Center) | 13.5 miles | 23 minutes |
| St. Peters | 15.2 miles | 26 minutes |
| West County Center, Des Peres | 16.3 miles | 27 minutes |
| Kirkwood | 16.9 miles | 27 minutes |
| Chesterfield | 22.3 miles | 31 minutes |
We measured these with OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap on October 17, 2026. They do not include traffic or weather, so add your own cushion on top.
Booking tips for the holidays
- ●Book the ride home when you book the ride out.
- ●Enter your flight number on the booking page so your chauffeur can follow the flight when you land.
- ●Families with checked bags fit best in the Chevrolet Suburban Premier or Cadillac Escalade ESV, which seat up to 6 with room for 6 bags.
- ●Pickups between midnight and 5:59 a.m. carry a flat $40 after-hours fee on any day of the year.
- ●If plans change, our terms ask for cancellations at least 24 hours ahead to avoid a cancellation fee.
Flying for Christmas or New Year's? Book both rides now and see each flat fare before you pay.
Book your ride →What is the busiest day to fly for Christmas 2026?
Based on TSA's 2025 counts, the Sunday after Christmas is the most likely, which is December 27 in 2026. In 2025 that Sunday, December 28, had 2,924,593 people screened, the most between mid December and early January.
How early should I get to Lambert for a Christmas flight?
The TSA advises 2 hours before your scheduled boarding time, and flystl.com asks travelers to allow more time than normal during holidays.
Do airport car service prices go up at Christmas?
Not with Black Car Service. Airport fares are flat and start at $100. The only extra is the flat $40 after-hours fee for pickups between midnight and 5:59 a.m., which applies on any day.
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