This Thanksgiving travel expected to be the busiest in 15 years: FAA

AUSTIN, Texas – It’s one of the busiest travel times of the year, as many Americans head out to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Thanksgiving travel

What they’re saying:

At the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, it was fairly quiet on Wednesday afternoon — with minimal lines both at airline counters and security checkpoints. 

That came as a pleasant surprise for some travelers who were concerned that their plans may get derailed altogether after the government shutdown dragged on into November. 

“I didn’t even think I was going to make it. I thought, Oh, I might have to cancel and stay in Austin,” said Troy Conrad, traveling from ABIA to Phoenix on Wednesday. “If the shutdown was still happening, there’s no way I would have even come here.”

Following the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, the Federal Aviation Administration expects this Thanksgiving travel period to be the busiest in 15 years. 

Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 17.8 million passengers. 

In Austin, there were nearly 100 delays both into and out of ABIA on Tuesday, Nov. 25, according to data from FlightAware. That number fell to 63 on Wednesday, and some travelers said it was getting to the airport that was the most chaotic part of the trip. 

“It was busy, there was a car wreck on the way,” said Delaney Buell, who was traveling to Chelan, Washington on Wednesday. “So, there was an additional, like, 25–30 minutes of traffic.”

This year, 90% of Thanksgiving travelers are opting to head to their destinations via car per data from AAA. 

AAA projects there will be an additional 1.3 million people on the roads during this year’s Thanksgiving travel period compared to last year, with at least 73 million people hitting the roads for the holiday. 

“This Thanksgiving, Texas is on the move like never before, with 5.8 million Texans taking a trip 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving,” said Daniel Armbruster, AAA Texas. “That is a new record and the third consecutive year in a row where we’ve seen a record over this holiday.”

For Thanksgiving travelers, the busiest day is yet to come. That day is projected to be Sunday. 

AAA says drivers should be prepared to see heavy traffic on the roads throughout the day, and at airports TSA expects to screen approximately 3 million passengers.