By Janet H. Cho
Thanksgiving travelers should leave early, but brace for delays.
That's the message from both the airline industry and travel experts, heading into what is expected to be the busiest-ever Thanksgiving travel period, both in the air and on the roads.
Adding to the usual travel chaos is the prospect of snowy weather affecting much of the northern U.S. "The four-day Thanksgiving weekend will be the snowiest in 39 years for the U.S. overall with a very strong storm moving into the Central U.S. late in the holiday weekend," said Bill Kirk, CEO of Weathertrends360, a weather forecasting company based in Bethlehem, Pa.
He told Barron's that 46% of the U.S. population will see snow, including heavy snow in the Rockies and into the Midwest. "Strong to severe thunderstorms out ahead of this storm from Texas to Indiana will create major travel headaches for anyone flying out on Sunday."
As of 3:30 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, 73 flights into and out of U.S. airports were canceled, and nearly 3,000 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.com. Hundreds of Delta Air Lines and United Airlines flights were delayed, especially at Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airports.
Passengers whose flights are canceled this weekend should contact their airline about changing their travel plans or getting refunds. Southwest Airlines said passengers are entitled to request a refund anytime a flight is canceled for any reason, "otherwise, they can choose a travel credit or to be rebooked on another flight."
Delta Air Lines said cancelations are a last resort and that if a new itinerary no longer fits a passenger's travel needs, it will provide full and timely refunds to those eligible. It said customers have options to request a refund on Delta.com.
AAA projects that a record 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday starting Tuesday and going through Monday. That's 1.6 million more than last year. Thanksgiving is the single busiest travel holiday, AAA says.
The breakdown includes 73.3 million people who will travel by car, up 1.3 million from last year, but that number could increase if some air travelers decide to fly instead of drive because of canceled flights.
AAA recommends drivers fill their gas tanks the night before their trip, and check their car battery and tire pressure. Last Thanksgiving, AAA responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls for issues such as empty fuel tanks, dead batteries, and flat tires.
Another 2.5 million people are expected to travel by bus, train, or cruise, up 8.5% over 2024. AAA says buses and trains could also see more last-minute bookings this year.
Airlines for America, an aviation industry group, expects more than 31 million passengers to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, which it defines as between Nov. 21 and Dec. 1, a new record. U.S. airlines have added 45,000 more seats compared with 2024, and will be flying about 2.8 million passengers a day, including 3.4 million projected to fly on Sunday.
"We're all looking forward to going home for the holidays," A4A President and CEO Chris Sununu said. "With airports expected to be busy, we ask all passengers to allow for extra travel time, pack their patience, and carry-on kindness this holiday season."
The Federal Aviation Administration said this Thanksgiving will be the busiest for air travel in 15 years.
United Airlines said bookings for Thanksgiving travel spiked 15% the weekend after the government shutdown ended on Nov. 12. United is expecting about 6.6 million passengers between Nov. 20 and Dec. 2, about 300,000 more people than last year, and "the most passengers we've ever flown during a Thanksgiving holiday."
United says the busiest travel days will be Sunday, when 600,000 people will fly, followed by Saturday (about 560,000 people), and Monday (another 560,000 people).
A4A recommends that passengers download their airline's mobile app before heading to the airport to get the latest travel updates, as well as to access in-flight entertainment and mobile check-in. United said travelers using its app can save up to 30 minutes at the airport.
United said its most popular domestic destinations for Thanksgiving are Orlando, Las Vegas, and Boston. International bookings are up 10% from last year, and its top international destinations are Cancun, London, and Frankfurt.
The airline also expects to serve nearly two million Stroopwafels, and says Universal's Wicked will be its most-streamed onboard movie because the sequel Wicked: For Good just arrived in theaters.
Write to Janet H. Cho at janet.cho@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 25, 2025 16:02 ET (21:02 GMT)
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