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The Thanksgiving travel period is officially underway tomorrow, and US airlines are preparing for the busiest holiday season on record. From November 21st through December 1st, more than 31 million passengers are expected take to the skies according to projections from Airlines for America (A4A).
Throughout the holiday travel period, A4A anticipates that US carriers will serve an average of 2.8 million passengers each day. To accommodate this surge, airlines are adding capacity across their networks (offering 45,000 more seats per day than they did in 2024). The highest-volume travel days are expected to be Sunday, November 30th and Monday, December 1st.
Airlines for America represents the country’s leading passenger and cargo airlines and emphasizes safety and operational reliability during peak travel periods. On a typical day, US carriers operate 27,000 flights, which transport 2.7 million passengers and 61,000 tons of cargo. The industry supports approximately 10 million American jobs and contributes about 5% of national GDP.
A4A’s membership includes Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and UPS (with Air Canada serving as an associate member). Together, these airlines are preparing to move record numbers of travelers through one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
A4A President and CEO, Chris Sununu, said:
We’re all looking forward to going home for the holidays. Our carriers have been working to fully prepare for what’s expected to be a record-breaking Thanksgiving. We’re grateful for all aviation employees who work tirelessly to get you home safely for the holidays. With airports expected to be busy, we ask all passengers to allow for extra travel time, pack their patience and carry-on kindness this holiday season. With the government shutdown over, we are calling on Congress to find a solution that ensures essential aviation workers and the traveling public are never again caught in the middle of political disputes. Congress needs to pass legislation so that air traffic controllers, TSA officers and CBP agents are paid during future shutdowns, ensuring operational stability as well as the safety and security of our airspace.”
Anthony’s Take: As the holiday rush begins, passengers can expect full flights, expanded schedules, and heightened coordination across the aviation system to ensure millions can reach their destinations to celebrate with family and friends.
(Image Credits: Elenathewise via iStock and Airlines for America.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
