U.S. Airlines Shine on Busiest Travel Day

DALLAS — The U.S. Thanksgiving crowd was on the move last week as U.S. airlines reported the busiest-ever travel day. 

According to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), more than 3.08 million passengers took to the skies on Sunday during a record-breaking airline traffic day. The agency said on X/Twitter that 3,087,392 traveled, beating the previous record of 70,000 passengers set on July 7 of this year.

The agency was ready for the crowds, though. In a November 19 news release, it estimated that more than 18 million Americans would be flying between November 26 and December 1.

“This holiday season is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods on record, and the vigilant people of the Transportation Security Administration stand ready to ensure the security and ease of travel,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

“Many members of the TSA workforce will be on duty throughout Thanksgiving Day and week, and I am immensely grateful for their selfless dedication and professionalism. I encourage travelers to plan ahead, follow TSA’s travel tips, and take advantage of programs like TSA PreCheck® – simple steps that will make everyone’s journey smoother, our skies safer, and TSA’s job easier.”

The agency’s prediction of over three million passengers traveling on Sunday proved accurate. 

Airlines Were Ready

U.S. airlines saw a completion factor of 99.6%. On-time performance lagged, though, with only 56% of flights leaving at their scheduled times.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) had the most cancellations at 12 flights. Alaska Airlines (AS) regional subsidiary Horizon Air (QX) reported the highest cancellation rate at 7.25%.

The major U.S. carriers all reported cancellation rates under 1% on Sunday. Southwest Airlines (WN) was on top, with nearly 88% of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of planned schedules.