Airlines Ready For Record Thanksgiving After Shutdown

Published on Nov 19, 2025, 2:52 pm CST

7 min read

Key points

Airlines for America expects more than 31 million passengers to fly on U.S. carriers between November 20 and December 2
Shutdown-related FAA flight reductions at major airports ended on Monday November 17, with airlines reporting normal schedules again
American Airlines and its regional partners will operate nearly 81,000 flights and handle about 5.6 million checked bags during the holiday period
United Airlines projects a record 6.6 million Thanksgiving passengers and roughly 4,500 daily flights across its network
Delta says its operation has fully recovered from shutdown disruptions and is focused on running a normal, reliable Thanksgiving schedule

Impact

Expect Busy Airports: Plan extra time at major hubs, especially on peak days like Sunday November 30 and Monday December 1 as airlines run record schedules
Check For Schedule Changes: Monitor airline apps and email for retimed flights and aircraft swaps as carriers rebuild capacity after shutdown flight cuts
Arrive Earlier Than Usual: Give yourself at least two hours for domestic flights and three for international trips to clear check in, bag drop, and security
Watch Weather And Constraints: Shutdown recovery, normal winter storms, and heavy traffic mean small issues can still cascade into broader delays
Consider Backup Plans: Build flexibility into connections, last flights of the day, and tight same day plans in case the system strains under peak demand

U.S. airlines say they are ready to move record Thanksgiving crowds even though the industry is coming off weeks of government shutdown turbulence. Airlines for America now expects more than 31 million passengers to fly between November 20 and December 2, a new high for the holiday travel window, while AAA projects a record 81.8 million Americans traveling at least fifty miles from home, including about 6.1 million air travelers. Shutdown related flight cuts that forced airlines to trim schedules at around forty major airports ended on Monday November 17, and carriers insist they have ramped back to normal operations in time for the rush.

Thanksgiving demand remains strong despite shutdown jitters

The shutdown clearly rattled some travelers. Industry analysts and trade groups report that growth in Thanksgiving bookings slowed sharply while the flight reduction order was in force, as many travelers hesitated to commit to flights that might be cancelled or heavily delayed. Even so, the underlying demand picture is still robust.

Airlines for America says carriers are preparing for more than 31 million passengers over the twelve day Thanksgiving window, roughly 2.8 million people per day on average. AAA, which looks across all modes, expects 81.8 million Americans to travel between November 25 and December 1, with about 73 million driving and a little more than 6 million flying, both record figures compared with last year.

That mix matters. The shutdown pushed some would be flyers into cars, buses, and trains, especially on shorter routes where driving can substitute for a disrupted flight. However, once the FAA lifted its order, airlines moved quickly to restore capacity, and many travelers booked last minute flights to seize lower fares and regained confidence in the system.

From shutdown flight cuts to normal schedules

During the shutdown, the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights by four to ten percent at many of the country's busiest airports because a shortage of unpaid air traffic controllers made normal traffic levels unsafe. That translated into thousands of cancellations and more than ten thousand daily delays at the worst points, with some hubs effectively capped for days at a time.

With a funding deal now in place, the FAA has lifted those restrictions and allowed airlines to resume normal schedules. Airlines for America acknowledges that ramping back up is not as simple as flipping a switch, but airlines have spent the days since November 17 rebuilding networks, repositioning aircraft, and stabilizing crew rosters ahead of Thanksgiving.

Delta's chief customer experience officer Erik Snell told customers that the airline's operation is now running normally and that teams remain focused on delivering the reliable, premium experience travelers expect after several difficult weeks. The message is clear, the shutdown is over, but carriers know they have to prove that the system is back on track.

American's largest ever Thanksgiving schedule

American Airlines is leaning into scale. The carrier and its regional partners plan to operate nearly 81,000 flights between November 20 and December 2, including 80,759 scheduled flights, which American says is larger than its 2024 Thanksgiving program and the biggest holiday schedule of any airline worldwide.

Sunday November 30 will be American's busiest travel day by passenger volume, closely followed by Monday December 1. To help clear the rush, the airline has added late night flights from Phoenix and Chicago, giving travelers extra options to get home before the work week.

The scale of the operation is striking. At 11:10 a.m. Central Time on Monday December 1, American expects 1,077 mainline and regional aircraft to be en route at the same time, its peak airborne moment for the period. Across the twelve day window, it plans to handle nearly 5.6 million checked bags while maintaining what it describes as record baggage performance. For passengers, that translates into more flight choices and better odds that bags will arrive with them, but it also means busier airports and tighter turnaround times if anything goes wrong.

United's busiest Thanksgiving ever

United Airlines is also heading into a record holiday. The airline expects to carry more than 6.6 million passengers during the two weeks around Thanksgiving, roughly 300,000 more than last year. United says it will operate about 4,500 flights per day over the period, with its single busiest day on Sunday November 30 when more than 600,000 people are expected to fly on its network.

Inside the cabin, United is leaning on familiar comforts. The airline expects to serve more than 2 million stroopwafel snacks and predicts that the most watched in flight movie will be the musical Wicked, ahead of the release of the film's second part. None of that offsets a delay, but it signals an attempt to restore a sense of normal holiday travel after weeks of anxiety about shutdown related disruptions.

United, like its peers, has been vocal about the shutdown's impact on bookings and operations, yet executives now say the airline is on stable footing for Thanksgiving as long as the FAA remains fully funded and staffing continues to normalize.

What this means for travelers

The messaging from airlines is optimistic, but travelers should not be naive about how tight the system is. Controller staffing was already a long term problem before the shutdown, and hiring, training, and certifying new controllers takes years, not weeks. A fully lifted flight cap does not magically erase fatigue, backlogs in training, or the risk that sickness or bad weather will tip a busy day into rolling delays.

Practically, passengers should treat this Thanksgiving like any peak period with extra systemic risk layered on top. That means booking earlier departure times where possible, avoiding tight connections on the last flight of the day, and building buffer time into any same day plans that depend on an on time arrival. Allow at least two hours at the airport for domestic flights and three for international departures, especially at major hubs where security and bag drop queues can balloon unexpectedly.

Travelers who shifted to driving, buses, or trains during the shutdown may stick with those choices for this holiday, which keeps some pressure off the aviation system but pushes congestion onto roads and rail. If you are flying, lean on your airline's app or website to track gate changes, rolling delays, and same day reaccommodation options. If you are connecting onto regional flights, particularly in weather sensitive hubs, assume those services will be the first to be cancelled if things get tight.

The bottom line is that airlines have done the work to restore capacity, and regulators have removed the most severe constraints. The system should be able to handle record numbers as long as there are no major new shocks, but travelers who plan around peak days, build in margin, and stay flexible will still have a better experience than those who cut it close.

Final thoughts

The end of shutdown flight cuts arrived just in time for the Thanksgiving rush, and the airline industry is understandably eager to prove that it can deliver a normal, even record breaking, holiday. The numbers from Airlines for America, AAA, American, United, and Delta all point to strong demand and aggressive scheduling, supported by reassuring rhetoric about reliability.

Travelers should take those assurances as a sign that U.S. carriers are not limping into this holiday, but they should also recognize how little slack remains in the system after years of staffing strain and a bruising shutdown. Smart routing choices, extra buffer time, and a realistic view of peak day congestion are still the best tools to turn a record travel period into a manageable trip instead of a cascading set of missed connections.