Thanksgiving week is always a challenging period for travel in the US, and this year an increase in passengers on all modes of transportation is anticipated, despite some weather threats.
Airports and highways will be crowded in the United States during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period that will likely end in another record day for air travel.
Those responsible for keeping security lines, boarding areas and planes moving, from the Transportation Secretary to airline bosses and other officials, swear they are prepared for the crowds.
Airline passengers could be lucky like last year, when relatively few flights were canceled during the holiday week, but that will require cooperation from the weather. And even if the skies are clear, a shortage of air traffic controllers could create delays.
Flights in the United States appeared to be operating relatively normally on Monday, with fewer than 40 cancellations but more than 1,600 delays by midday on the East Coast, according to FlightAware.
The AAA auto club and insurance company predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel in cars.
Drivers should enjoy a slight relief from gasoline prices. The national average price of gasoline was $3.06 per gallon on Monday, down from $3.26 this time last year.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects to screen 18.3 million people at U.S. airports over the seven-day period. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year, but fits a pattern established throughout 2024.
The TSA predicts that 3 million people will go through security checks on Sunday; More than that could break the record of 3.01 million set the Sunday after the July 4 holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the busiest air travel days of Thanksgiving week.
TSA says it's ready
“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Fortunately, our staff is also at the highest levels they have ever been. “We are ready.”
Pekoske said TSA will have enough screeners to keep overall security lines under 30 minutes and lines for people who pay extra for PreCheck under 10 minutes.
Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, began what was expected to be a 24-hour strike over their demands for higher wages. Only a handful of flights were canceled and there were fewer than 100 delays.
Charlotte's airport is the ninth busiest in the country by passenger volume and serves as a hub for American Airlines. Airport officials expect approximately 1 million passengers to depart on flights between last Thursday and next Monday.
A continued shortage of air traffic controllers could cause flight delays at other airports.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures to deal with shortages at some facilities.
“If we are short-staffed, we will reduce traffic as necessary to maintain the safety of the system,” he said.
Winter weather is always an unknown for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel by plane and car.
More rain is expected in California, where crews were trying to restore power lost due to storm flooding late last week.
The Midwest and Great Lakes regions were expected to receive rain and snow on Monday, while the Northeast could see wet and windy conditions on Thursday and Friday.