US AIRLINES GEARING UP FOR BUSIEST EVER THANKSGIVING

This year’s Thanksgiving will be the busiest ever for air traffic, according to Airlines for America (A4A), which today announced today that it expects a record 31.6 million passengers (+3.7%) to board US carriers worldwide during the 12-day travel period normally associated with the annual holiday.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, December 1, is poised to be the busiest travel day ever for the US airline industry, with 3.1 million passengers expected.

“The popularity of air travel continues to soar this holiday season, as airlines and airports alike continue to invest billions of dollars into improving the quality of the experience and the efficiency of their operations,” said A4A vice president and chief economist, John Heimlich.  

A4A is projecting that US airlines will carry an average of 2.63 million passengers per day during the Thanksgiving travel period, which extends from Friday, November 22 to Tuesdaym December 3.

In addition to the record 3.1 million passengers expected on Sunday, December 1, 2.98 million passengers are expected on Wednesday, November 27, and 2.96 million on Friday, November 22.

Thanksgiving Day itself, November 28, is projected to be one of the lightest days of the year, with only 1.79 million passengers.

Compared with the 2018 Thanksgiving travel period, US airlines will operate 859 more flights per day, adding 108,000 daily seats to their schedules, to accommodate the additional 93,000 daily passengers expected.