After 43 days of the federal government shutdown and the lifting of the emergency flight reduction order at 40 airports nationwide, experts anticipate a normal travel season for the Thanksgiving holiday, with the usual flight delays that typically occur during any other holiday season.

“I took a flight this weekend from Los Angeles to San Antonio to spend Thanksgiving with my “I was traveling with my parents, and I didn’t have any problems. I wasn’t worried about any flight delays either. Fortunately, everything went well. I hope the return trip goes well too,” said Samuel Lopez. But Antonio Lucero, who took advantage of Action Week to travel from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate his birthday, said his flight on Friday, November 21, was delayed by about an hour. “Other than that, there were no major setbacks. We had a pleasant trip,” he commented. The fear was that after the largest shutdown in history, it would take weeks and months for flight schedules to return to normal, in part due to the acute shortage of air traffic controllers in the country. “We are already seeing fewer cancellations and flight delays. That shows that the controllers are finally going to receive their back pay, and stability in the U.S. airline industry will probably be restored relatively quickly,” said Mike Arnot, a spokesman for the data analytics firm. Cirium Aeronautics.

“Thanksgiving should not be affected at all,” Arnot said.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) forecasts that 81.8 million people will travel at least 80 kilometers (50 miles) for Thanksgiving, between November 25 and December 1.

Meanwhile, six million travelers are expected to take domestic flights, a 2% increase over last year.

Overall, about 1.6 million more people are expected to travel by air than last year, with 90% of them traveling by car.

It is estimated that there will be approximately 1.3 million more people traveling by road than in 2024.

“It is possible that some travelers changed their plans in advance and canceled their flights to opt for road trips, but we don't believe that number is high enough to alter our projection of 6 million air travelers,” stated Aixa Diaz, a spokesperson for AAA.

She added that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are changing their plans.

“Many travelers who purchased Thanksgiving flights in advance adopted a wait-and-see approach, and it appears that this will now pay off for them as operations normalize.”

Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going.com, stated that the high level of disruptions recently experienced is unlikely to continue through the holiday week.

But he said that if we continue to have a reduced number of air traffic controllers, we could see flight disruptions through Thanksgiving, although probably not on this scale.

How to Prepare

Sunday, November 30, is expected to be the busiest day for air travel, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Therefore, experts recommend that travelers stay informed about their flight status, and in case of a delay or cancellation, contact the airline immediately, either through the app's chat function, by phone, or by queuing at the customer service desk if they are at the airport.

The strongest recommendation is to arrive at least one hour before the usual scheduled time for both domestic and international flights.

Good news for your wallet: according to AAA, renting a car this Thanksgiving will be 15% cheaper than last year.

And for those who are going to take The highway authority informs you that the days with the heaviest traffic will be Tuesday, November 25, Wednesday, November 26, and Sunday, November 30. The best time to hit the road before Thanksgiving is before noon on Tuesday, November 25, or before 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26, according to the analytics firm INRIX. For the return trip, INRIX indicates that the best times to drive are: before 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 28; before 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 29; before 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 30; or after 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1.

“It’s possible that some travelers changed their plans in advance and canceled their flights to opt for road trips, but we don’t believe that number is high enough to alter our projection of 6 million air travelers,” said AAA spokeswoman Aixa Diaz.

She added that it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are changing their plans.

“Many travelers who purchased Thanksgiving flights in advance adopted a wait-and-see approach, and it appears that this will now pay off for them as operations normalize.”

Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.com, said it’s unlikely that the high level of disruptions seen recently will continue through the holiday week.

But he said that if we continue to have a reduced number of air traffic controllers, we could see flight disruptions through Thanksgiving, although probably not on this scale.

How to Prepare

Sunday, November 30, is expected to be the busiest day for air travel, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Therefore, experts recommend that travelers stay informed about their flight status, and in case of a delay or cancellation, contact the airline immediately, either through the app's chat function, by phone, or by queuing at the customer service desk if they are at the airport.

The strongest recommendation is to arrive at least one hour before the usual scheduled time for both domestic and international flights.

Good news for your wallet: according to AAA, renting a car this Thanksgiving will be 15% cheaper than last year.

And for those who are going to take The highway authority informs you that the days with the heaviest traffic will be Tuesday, November 25, Wednesday, November 26, and Sunday, November 30. The best time to hit the road before Thanksgiving is before noon on Tuesday, November 25, or before 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26, according to the analytics firm INRIX. For the return trip, INRIX indicates that the best times to drive are: before 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 28; before 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 29; before 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 30; or after 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1.

“It’s possible that some travelers changed their plans in advance and canceled their flights to opt for road trips, but we don’t believe that number is high enough to alter our projection of 6 million air travelers,” said AAA spokeswoman Aixa Diaz.

She added that it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are changing their plans.

“Many travelers who purchased Thanksgiving flights in advance adopted a wait-and-see approach, and it appears that this will now pay off for them as operations normalize.”

Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.com, said it’s unlikely that the high level of disruptions seen recently will continue through the holiday week.

But he said that if we continue to have a reduced number of air traffic controllers, we could see flight disruptions through Thanksgiving, although probably not on this scale.

How to Prepare

Sunday, November 30, is expected to be the busiest day for air travel, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Therefore, experts recommend that travelers stay informed about their flight status, and in case of a delay or cancellation, contact the airline immediately, either through the app's chat function, by phone, or by queuing at the customer service desk if they are at the airport.

The strongest recommendation is to arrive at least one hour before the usual scheduled time for both domestic and international flights.

Good news for your wallet: according to AAA, renting a car this Thanksgiving will be 15% cheaper than last year.

And for those who are going to take The highway authority informs you that the days with the heaviest traffic will be Tuesday, November 25, Wednesday, November 26, and Sunday, November 30. The best time to hit the road before Thanksgiving is before noon on Tuesday, November 25, or before 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26, according to the analytics firm INRIX. For the return trip, INRIX indicates that the best times to drive are: before 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 28; before 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 29; before 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 30; or after 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1.