Americans brace for Thanksgiving rush in test of airspace
US airlines are bracing for what stands to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record, testing a strained aviation system that’s only just bounced back from flight restrictions prompted by the government shutdown.
Sprinkle in persistent air-traffic controller shortages, calamitous winter weather brewing in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, as well as fuel-supply constraints, sporadic tech outages and the rollout of REAL ID requirements, and aviation experts say travelers should brace for disruptions and extra stress.
Industry group Airlines for America anticipates US airlines will carry a record of more than 31 million passengers from Nov. 21 through Dec. 1. The US Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, expects this Thanksgiving to be the busiest in 15 years. In any event, the annual spectacle of mass migration will wear on the system’s durability and travelers’ pain threshold alike.
“Airlines have made travel so unpleasant if you’re in a standard economy seat,” said Henry Harteveldt, the founder of Atmosphere Research Group, which advises the industry. Cramped spaces on the plane, long security lines and checked bag fees are among the many reasons why “tempers flare” at the airport, he said.
United Airlines Holdings Inc. is expecting about 6.6 million customers from Nov. 20 to Dec. 2, about 300,000 more than a year ago and the most passengers it’s ever carried during a Thanksgiving holiday. American Airlines Group Inc. forecasts about 650,000 travelers across more than 6,600 flights on Wednesday alone.
Footage of endless lines snaking through terminals, intoxicated passengers brawling on planes or travelers throwing basic rules of comportment to the wind have become popular social-media fodder. Together, they’ve created the impression of air travel as a survival sport and airports as dystopian zones that should best be avoided.
That’s why Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is using the Thanksgiving rush to insert what he says is some much-needed civility back into the act of travel. That means “dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood,” he wrote in a post on X.
“I’m not trying to put the blame on anybody, I’m just asking us all to be better and do better and we’ll all have a more pleasant experience,” Duffy told reporters earlier this week, noting that he expects it to be the busiest Thanksgiving on record.
“Let’s try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come into the airport,” he said.
Air-traffic controllers will be ready to handle the surge in flights, with towers “adequately staffed” for the holidays, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters.
Airlines are rebounding from flight reductions mandated during the government shutdown, which wreaked havoc on the aviation system as an uptick of air traffic control staffing shortages led to disruptions across the US.
Travelers will also have to be on the lookout for delays linked to bad weather, including winter storms starting in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest and moving east. Heavy rains and potential floods will come for Tennessee and other areas, moving toward the Northeast as many look to travel post-Thanksgiving.
The heightened activity stands to be a test case for what exactly needs to change under any sort of network modernization envisioned by President Donald Trump’s administration - with both political parties eager to place blame elsewhere for any widespread travel snarls.
Flights into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest by passenger volume, were temporarily halted Tuesday due to severe weather that caused the FAA to evacuate the hub’s air traffic control tower. A separate facility controlled airspace during the evacuation, which lasted about 10 minutes, the agency said.
In addition, some flights leaving Seattle were forced to add additional stops for refueling after a pipeline spill cut off the jet fuel supply to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The Transportation Security Administration said it’s preparing to screen more than 17.8 million people from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, with more than 3 million travelers expected to go through airport security just on Sunday. The overall number is lower than last year’s projection, though Sunday’s estimate is on par with 2024.
The top five busiest airports during the Thanksgiving week will be Hartsfield-Jackson, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Denver International Airport, according to data from travel bookings app Hopper.
And once all the Thanksgiving festivities have subsided, Sunday will be another eventful day - the busiest of 2025 based on seats scheduled, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium.