Record-Breaking Thanksgiving Travel Expected Despite Inflation and Past Disruptions

Airlines bolster staff numbers and TSA prepares for busiest holiday season ever as millions of Americans plan to travel for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving travel is expected to reach record numbers this year, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) predicting it will screen 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday and a record 2.9 million on Sunday.
Despite inflation and memories of past holiday travel meltdowns, millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving Day break.
Airline officials are confident they can avoid the kind of massive disruptions that have marred past holiday seasons, as airlines have added tens of thousands of employees in the last couple years.
AAA predicts that 55.4 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday and Sunday, the third-highest forecast ever by the auto club.
Despite the high volume of travelers, the rate of canceled flights is down this year from last year, when airlines didn’t have enough staff to handle the strong recovery in travel after the pandemic.