Traveling on Turkey Day? Make sure to carve out some extra time.
This Thanksgiving is expected to be the busiest ever for air travel, with a record-setting 18 million Americans expected to jet off for their holiday celebrations in the coming days.
“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Fortunately, our staffing is also at the highest levels that they have ever been. We are ready.”
TSA expects 3 million people to pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday, with Tuesday and Wednesday being the second-busiest days.
While Peroske says TSA is gearing up to keep security lines under 30 minutes, other forces like Federal Aviation Administration staffing shortages, airport workers on strike, and potentially stormy weather may have other plans.
A persistent shortage of air traffic controllers may cause delays at some airports, though FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said his agency will employ special measures to overcome any staffing issues.
“If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” he said.
Another obstacle threatening to thwart Thanksgiving travels is a strike that began Monday at North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport among service workers demanding increased wages.
The airport, the ninth-busiest in the nation, expects to see about 1 million passengers depart on flights from last Thursday to next Monday.
New Yorkers may also face their own unique travel woes as they look to catch flights this Thanksgiving week thanks to construction at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Port Authority officials are urging the 1.34 million travelers expected to fly out of JFK over the next week to avoid driving directly to airport terminals and instead opt for public transportation amid the airport’s $19 billion redevelopment project.
“We would like our customers to spend as much time as possible with family and friends on this Thanksgiving holiday and as little time sitting in construction-related traffic at JFK,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.
“Leave extra time, use public transportation, pre-book parking if you absolutely have to drive to JFK and visit our website for the latest travel advisories before you leave for the airport.”
Despite the potential snafus, most US flights were seemingly running as scheduled on Monday, with less than 40 canceled but over 1,600 delayed by midday, according to FlightAware.
Holiday travels ran relatively smoothly last year due to favorable weather conditions — and many airport and travel officials are hoping for a repeat this holiday season.
Last year, less than 400 US flights were canceled during the week of Thanksgiving. This year will hopefully be the same case, as only 1.3% of flights have been canceled so far this week.
With Post wires.
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