Travel is expected to be high for the Thanksgiving holidays.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg held a news conference on Monday to address expectations for Thanksgiving holiday travel and highlight efforts to improve transportation systems and minimize disruptions.
“These will likely be some of the busiest travel days in U.S. history,” Buttigieg said during a press conference. “While there are, of course, some factors that affect travel, especially the weather, that are truly out of anybody’s control, we can take and have taken a number of steps to make travel better.”
Buttigieg projects a “record-breaking travel period,” with officials estimating that approximately 30 million passengers will pass through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoints between this past Sunday and Thanksgiving Day, with Tuesday projected as the busiest day for flying in that period.
AAA is projecting 5.84 million people will fly this holiday, a 2% increase from 2023 and nearly an 11% increase since 2019. According to AAA booking data, those flying this holiday are paying 3% more for domestic Thanksgiving flights.
Buttigieg said when the Biden administration took office, it was still in the midst of the pandemic, and “the airline industry had been brought to a standstill by the onset of that pandemic.”
Buttigieg noted that airlines and government agencies have been preparing for months to handle increased demand, aiming to avoid significant delays and cancellations.
Buttigieg said the Transportation Department had used every power within its authority to improve service and to improve the flying experience for all airline passengers.
He stated that this included automatic refunds for cancelled and changed flights, refunds for late baggage, refunds for services not provided like Wi-Fi or seat selection or in-flight entertainment and free rebooking during disruptions along with free hotels and transportation.
Buttigieg addressed the potential weather-related challenges at the news conference and said the FAA is working closely with airlines.
Travelers are still urged to monitor weather forecasts and stay informed about flight statuses.
Buttigieg was joined by Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker, who said even with these proactive measures, he expects some shortages to happen during the busiest travel days, but that if shortages do happen, safety comes first.
“During the Thanksgiving travel period, we will use traffic flow management initiatives to deal with any staffing shortages,” said Whitaker.
The FAA opened 169 additional flight routes along the East Coast in 2023 intended to ease congestion and create a smoother travel experience for those choosing to fly.
“This year passenger volumes of the highest we’ve ever seen, and fortunately our staffing in TSA is also at the highest levels we’ve that they have ever been,” TSA administrator David Pekoske.
Pekoske projects 2.8 million passengers next Tuesday across the entire system of 433 airports, with 2.9 million passengers next Wednesday. The Sunday following Thanksgiving is projected to have more than 3 million passengers.
