US airports prepare for busiest Thanksgiving travel weekend in history

Airports across the United States are expected one, if not, the busiest holiday travel weekends in their history as the 2024 Thanksgiving holidays get underway. While many will take to the country’s highways for their holiday getaways, many millions will take to the air to escape for a few days, between November 25, 2024, and December 1, 2024.  

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it expects to screen around 18.3 million people at US airports during the period. That number would equate to an amount of 6% higher than during the corresponding days in 2023. The TSA predicts that over three million people will pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday, December 1, 2024 – the last day of the holidays before the great return to work and school on Monday, December 2, 2024.

This number of passengers on that day could even break the record of the 3.01 million passengers that were handled on Sunday, July 7, 2024, following the annual July 4th Independence Day celebrations. Wednesday, November 27, 2024, is expected to be the next busiest day.

Angel DiBilio / ShutterstockDespite the sheer scale of the numbers involved, the TSA says it is ready to handle this quantity of passengers in such a compact period.

“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Fortunately, our staffing is also at the highest levels that they have ever been. We are ready. The TSA will have enough screeners to keep general security lines under 30 minutes and lines for people who pay extra for PreCheck under 10 minutes,” Pekoske added.

Meanwhile, airline passengers will be hoping for a trouble and disruption-free weekend of travel ahead. In 2023, relatively few flights were canceled during the holiday period week, and with generally decent weather forecasted for much of the US in the coming days, delays and cancellations due to adverse weather events are not expected by either the authorities or airlines.

However, there is a potential problem looming that could cause issues for travelers –  that of a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that it will use special measures to deal with shortages at some facilities, should issues arise over the holiday weekend.

travelview / Shutterstock“If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in a recent press briefing. In the previous two years last two years, similar measures have been implemented which ensure safety but result in a reduced rate of take-offs and landings at key airports, meaning passenger flights get delayed. Such measures have been used in the New York area and Florida over previous holiday seasons.

The FAA has been struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers since the pandemic when many retired and weren’t replaced, while recruitment of new staff all but dried up. Airlines have been advised that the shortage could last for years, despite a huge recruitment drive being led by the FAA for more trainee controllers.

1000 Words / ShutterstockAirport security officials are asking passengers to arrive at airports early, not to put lithium-ion batteries in checked bags in case of thermal runaway that can cause fires onboard aircraft, and to keep firearms out of carry-on bags. TSA has discovered over 6,000 guns at security checkpoints so far in 2024 and has reported that the majority of them were loaded.

One last obstacle to a smooth holiday weekend is the announcement that service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina have already gone on strike during this Thanksgiving travel week to protest what they call “poverty wages”. 

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has around two million members in healthcare, public services, and property services, represents approximately 700 workers at Charlotte Airport. The strike started at 05:00 local time on November 25, 2024. 

Striking workers include staff from ABM and Prospect Airport Services. These employees handle tasks such as cleaning aircraft interiors, taking out the trash, and assisting passengers in wheelchairs at Charlotte Airport, a key hub for American Airlines, which runs the vast majority of the flights from the airport.   

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