Record numbers of travelers are expected to take to the skies and the roads over the Thanksgiving holiday. Millions of people flew on Tuesday and Wednesday, the busiest days for air travel, as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
The Transportation Security Administration expected to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday and 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday. Sunday will draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30.
AAA forecasts more than 55 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this holiday weekend.
This year, average airfares are down about 14% over last year. Gas prices are also down about 37 cents a gallon over last Thanksgiving weekend.
A survey of GasBuddy users found that despite cheaper pump prices, the number of people planning to take a long driving trip this Thanksgiving hasn’t changed much from last year. Patrick De Haan, an analyst for the price-tracking service, said inflation has cooled but some things like food are still getting more expensive. Consumers are also charging more on credit cards and saving less.
Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday travel season. Last Christmas, severe winter storms knocked out thousands of flights and left millions of passengers stranded. U.S. airlines as a whole have been better about stranding passengers. Through October, they canceled 38% fewer flights than during the same period in 2022. From June through August — when thunderstorms can snarl air traffic — the rate of cancellations fell 18% compared to 2022.
Even still, consumer complaints about airline service have soared, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. There have been so many complaints, the agency says, that it has only compiled figures through May.
The airlines, in turn, have heaped blame on the Federal Aviation Administration, which they say can’t keep up with the growing air traffic.