Over 18 Million Expected To Fly Amid Busiest Thanksgiving Travel Period In History
Though NYC is expecting a record 8.7 million travelers to use Port Authority airports, bridges, and tunnels this Thanksgiving, TSA is estimating this year to prove the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in history. More than 18 million passengers are projected to go through TSA screening from Tuesday, November 26th through Monday, December 2nd.
TSA echoed the estimated mass travel volume in a post to X, after already seeing the busiest travel year in TSA history. In fact, the 10 busiest travel days across TSA records have all occurred within the year, confirmed TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “We anticipate that trend to continue,” he added.
According to a recent press release, “the vigilant people of the Transportation Security Administration stand ready to ensure the security and ease of travel,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Many members of the TSA workforce will be on duty throughout Thanksgiving Day and week…I encourage travelers to plan ahead, follow TSA’s travel tips, and take advantage of programs like TSA PreCheck® – simple steps that will make everyone’s journey smoother, our skies safer, and TSA’s job easier.”
TSA has flagged the Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving, along with the Sunday following, as the busiest travel days of the holiday period.
To break a record as the busiest Thanksgiving travel period is quite the feat after TSA screened more than 2.9 million passengers in just one day around Thanksgiving last year. However, TSA is expecting to screen over 3 million passengers on Sunday, December 1st. This could rival the current record for the busiest air travel day in history, which occurred on July 7th with over 3 million passengers screened.
To best handle this volume of passengers, TSA is preparing to optimize staffing and maintain wait time standards. TSA encourages travelers to pack smart and comply with the current 3.4 oz limit for liquids, aerosols and gels.
Find more of TSA’s full travel tips online.
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