Thanksgiving set air travel records: What to know for Christmas and New Year’s

For the third straight year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving set the record as the busiest day ever at U.S. airports.

Nationwide, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 3.1 million passengers Nov. 30, as travelers rushed home from Turkey Day celebrations.

That narrowly beat the previous record set June 22 — and the crowds seen on last year’s Thanksgiving Sunday.

The record-setting holiday rush came despite lingering apprehension among travelers, some still uneasy about potential air travel disruptions in the wake of the longest government shutdown in history.

Last month, a TPG survey conducted with polling firm YouGov showed many travelers were rethinking their holiday travel plans after early November chaos at airports.

In the end, travelers flocked to airports in droves.

And while Thanksgiving weekend still presented plenty of challenges, it wasn’t air traffic control or TSA backups that snarled travel — it was a more familiar foe in Mother Nature.

Related: TSA to charge travelers $45 if they don’t have Real ID starting in 2026

A rough Thanksgiving travel weekend

Winter weather led to tens of thousands of flight cancellations and delays, including a whopping two-thirds of departures delayed Sunday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), per FlightAware, after snow blanketed parts of the region.

Meanwhile, airlines raced behind the scenes to perform emergency maintenance on hundreds of Airbus A320-family planes after the European planemaker called for urgent software updates to its planes late last week.

Many of the top U.S. carriers fly A320-family jets — most notably American Airlines.

As of Monday, Airbus reported more than 98% of planes covered by the “precautionary” recall had undergone the necessary repairs.

Thanksgiving sprint over, Christmas and New Year’s marathon next

Now, with Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, all eyes turn to the end-of-year holiday rush.

Expect another bonanza at airports.

After all, 8 of the 10 busiest days ever at U.S. airports have now come in 2025.

Over the Christmas and New Year’s travel period, you likely won’t see any one day as busy as the Sunday after Thanksgiving, since passengers’ travel dates tend to be more dispersed over a longer period — but at an elevated level, nonetheless.

Book now!

If you haven’t booked end-of-year flights, don’t wait any longer! The cheapest holiday fares may be behind us, but if you can be flexible on travel dates and destinations, you may be able to find a decent cash or award price.

If I were booking a flight for the holidays now, I’d go with the travel dates and destinations that offer the lowest prices — instead of setting my sights on one place or time frame.

Check international airline loyalty programs

If you’re hoping to book a flight with points or miles, I’d check prices both on U.S. airlines and via international programs that allow transfers from major credit card programs — like Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Air Canada Aeroplan.

Even if you’re flying domestically in the U.S., you may be able to book award flights on their American partners.

Book with a credit card with travel insurance

You might also consider booking your trip with a credit card that has built-in travel protections, which can help you recoup hotel, meal and ground transportation costs if you get stuck somewhere because of bad weather (just know that terms and protections vary from one plan and card to another).

Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do next

Register now for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID

Also, I’d register now for TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, one of the best new time-savers available at a growing list of airports nationwide.

If you’re a PreCheck member (or get your PreCheck access via Global Entry), this is a great way to speed through security at no added cost.

You’ll just need to opt in through your airline profile.

File this away for next Thanksgiving

Finally, I’ll leave you with some food for thought (no pun intended) to keep in mind for next year’s Turkey Day rush.

If your plans allow, flying to your Thanksgiving destination on the holiday itself could be a great way to save money and stress.

Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27) was the quietest day of the year at airports, nationwide.

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