The best and worst days to fly for Labor Day weekend, according to experts

Summer travel season might be ending soon, but one of its busiest weekends is right around the corner.

Labor Day weekend is expected to be one of the busiest times to travel.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend saw a record-breaking number of travelers, with more than 3 million people passing through airport security, and the September holiday is predicted to see similar numbers.

Traveling on the not-so-popular days can save time, money, stress and allow for a smoother time at the airport.

A new NerdWallet analysis found the best and worst days to fly for Labor Day weekend by looking at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) data.

The Friday before Labor Day has been the single busiest day for air travel over the past three years during the seven-day time period before and after Labor Day, including the holiday.

For the seven-day period starting on Labor Day and spanning the subsequent days, Labor Day Monday has been the busiest day over the past three years.

Here are the best and worst days to travel, based on an average of data from the past four years:

Least crowded days to travel, ranked from least to most crowded

Pre-holiday

1. Tuesday before (overall least crowded day pre-holiday)
2. Wednesday before
3. Saturday before

Post-holiday

1. Saturday after (overall least crowded day post-holiday)
2. Wednesday after
3. Tuesday after

“Smarter, cheaper” Labor Day weekend travel itinerary

• Fly out on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Labor Day
• Travel on Saturday morning rather than Friday afternoon
• Fly home on Sunday, not Labor Day Monday

Most to least crowded days for the week surrounding Labor Day

1. Friday before Labor Day (most crowded)
2. Labor Day Monday
3. Sunday after
4. Thursday before
5. Friday after
6. Monday after
7. Thursday after
8. Monday before
9. Tuesday after
10. Sunday before
11. Saturday before
12. Wednesday before
13. Wednesday after
14. Saturday after
15. Tuesday before (least crowded)