Thousands of flights across the United States were delayed and hundreds were canceled as inclement weather disrupted travel on one of the busiest holiday travel weekends of the year.
According to FlightAware, as of Sunday night, 6,098 flights in, out or into the United States had been delayed and 178 US flights had been cancelled.
A severe weather system is responsible for many delays and cancellations as travelers try to get back home after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Airports in three major cities – New York City, Washington DC and Boston – appear to be the most affected.
Thousands of flights were delayed and hundreds were canceled across the United States as inclement weather disrupted travel the weekend after Thanksgiving.
According to FlightAware, as of Sunday night, 6,098 flights into, out of or into the United States were delayed, and 178 US flights were canceled
A severe weather system is responsible for many delays and cancellations as travelers try to get back home after the Thanksgiving holiday
The flight chaos comes as travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, with this year projected to be the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel season since AAA began tracking it in 2000.
According to AAA, airlines and airport workers prepared an estimated 4.5 million Americans to fly this Thanksgiving holiday.
Earlier this month, the Transportation Security Administration announced that it would be cutting the cost of enrolling in TSA PreCheck.
The three major airports serving New York City and the tri-state area advised travelers to arrive early for their flights over the Thanksgiving holiday and prepare for similar disruptions throughout the holiday season.
New York’s LaGuardia Airport urged travelers to pre-book parking spaces.
“We cannot stress this enough – plan ahead and arrive early if you are traveling during the #Thanksgiving holiday travel period,” the airport tweeted.
Newark Liberty International Airport issued a similar warning, tweeting that roadways at the airport were already congested on Sunday morning.
‘The holiday season means higher passenger volumes. If you plan to travel through Terminal A or B, take advantage of the free EWR VirtualLine service and reserve your spot in the security checkpoint line in advance,’ the airport said on Twitter. ‘Due to the increased number of passengers during the holidays, allow extra time for travel, check-in and security.’
The flight chaos comes as travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, with this year projected to be the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel season since AAA began tracking it in 2000.
Three major airports serving New York City and the tri-state area advised travelers to arrive early for their flights over the Thanksgiving holiday and prepare for similar disruptions during the holiday season.
Three major airports serving New York City (including JFK) advised travelers to arrive early for their flights and prepare for similar disruptions during the holiday season
John F. Kennedy Airport tweeted: ‘Budget extra travel time to arrive at #JFK Airport, park at your reserved spot, check-in, and go through security’
John F Kennedy Airport tweeted: ‘Budget extra travel time to arrive at JFK Airport, park at your reserved spot, check-in and go through security.’
Airlines continue to blame flight disruptions on a lack of air traffic controllers, especially in Florida, a major vacation destination.
Controllers, who work for the Federal Aviation Administration, ‘get the tests done around the holidays. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said a few days ago, it looks like we have challenges ahead of us.
‘The FAA is adding another 10% to the workforce, hopefully that’s enough.’
Passengers pass a Christmas tree on their way to the Terminal C gates at Logan International Airport in Boston last week
People behind the wheel or boarding a plane don’t seem fazed by higher gasoline and airfare prices than last year, or by widespread concern about inflation and the economy.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has disputed such claims, stating that most delays and cancellations are caused by the airlines themselves.
The TSA expects airports to be busier than last year and probably on par with 2019. The busiest day in TSA history came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2019, when nearly 2.9 million people were screened at airport checkpoints.
Those behind the wheel or boarding a plane don’t seem fazed by higher gasoline and airfare prices than last year, or by widespread concern about inflation and the economy. It is already forecasting strong travel over Christmas and New Years.
