Thanksgiving time is usually a time for people to get back home and spend time with family. Usually, this translates to a busy travel period for airlines in the United States, and reports from the FAA indicate that this year, the expected passenger traffic during this period will be a record high.

With the US domestic travel market having just recovered from the delays and cancellations caused due to security checkpoints and control tower facilities at airports across the nation being short-staffed due to the government shutdown, it will be interesting to observe how the traffic at these airports will be handled in the coming days.

Busiest Thanksgiving In 15 Years!

In a report released by the Federal Aviation Administration FAA), the government body stated that in the coming days leading up to Thanksgiving and the days after, the forecasted passenger traffic is expected to be record high. In fact, the FAA states that this could be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period the country has seen in 15 years.

The agency states that its members are preparing for the passenger traffic expected to flow through the country’s airports in the coming days, with data showing over 360,000 flights taking place during this period. Forecasts from the FAA show that the busiest day of the period will be Tuesday, November 25, with a forecast of 52,185 flight movements across the nation, while the lowest number of flights is forecasted to be recorded on the day of Thanksgiving, which will be on Thursday, November 27, with 25,611 flights.

The statement from the FAA’s Administrator, Bryan Bedford, is as follows:

« Thanks to the dedication of our air traffic controllers and every FAA employee, we are ready for the holiday rush and take pride in helping travelers reach their friends and families during this important time of year. »

Over 31 Million Passengers During This Period

While the FAA has forecasted the number of flight movements, data published by Airlines For America (A4A) indicate that airlines across the country are forecasted to carry over 31 million passengers during the last 10 days of November, marking an all-time high for the Thanksgiving period. In fact, the data also indicates that the airlines combined are offering 45,000 additional seats across the market compared to the previous year to meet the forecasted record-high demand.

Data from A4A shows that last year, traffic during the same period was recorded to be 30.6 million passengers, and that this year, the airlines are expecting to carry an average of 2.8 million passengers (+1% traffic compared to 2024) during these days, with the peak number expected to be 3.39 million passengers on November 30.

The organization has also proposed helpful tips for travelers to ensure their travel experience remains as smooth as possible during this period of record-high traffic. These tips include enrolling for the TSA PreCheck, arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare, especially on Sunday, November 30, and Monday, December 1. Furthermore, A4A has recommended that passengers have access to airline applications on their phones to get the latest updates, and also carrying snacks and empty water bottles for a smoother ground experience.

Current State Of Flight Delays & Cancelations

With the Government Shutdown over and several key employees, such as TSA agents and Air Traffic Controllers, back on post, the FAA, according to reports from Supply Chain Dive, has ended the 10% capacity cut, which it had mandated across 40 major US airports earlier this month. This has already improved the situation across the country considerably.

When compared to data from last week, the number of cancellations across the country has improved significantly. Data from FlightAware shows the following numbers of cancellations and delays:

While the data doesn’t show much improvement in terms of the number of flight delays across the country, it has shown that the number of delays recorded this Friday was considerably lower than the previous Friday, which is a move in the positive direction. However, it will require analysis of the delays recorded in the following days to conclude that the flight delays across the country are decreasing.