{"id":190,"date":"2026-11-11T05:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T10:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ulysse-news-en.ulysse.com\/?p=190"},"modified":"2026-11-11T05:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T10:43:13","slug":"nearly-29-million-americans-are-about-to-flood-u-s-airports-for-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/nearly-29-million-americans-are-about-to-flood-u-s-airports-for-thanksgiving","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 29 Million Americans Are About to Flood U.S. Airports for Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanksgiving air travel is about to get extremely busy, with nearly 29 million passengers expected to fly on U.S. airlines between November 20 and November 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the surge is arriving at a difficult moment for the airline industry. Carriers are heading into one of the year\u2019s busiest travel periods while dealing with record-high jet fuel costs, a combination that could put more pressure on routes, fees and operating decisions long after the holiday rush is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airlines for America, the trade group representing major U.S. carriers, expects about 2.7 million passengers per day over the Thanksgiving travel period. Airlines are adding an average of 38,000 seats per day compared with 2025 to absorb the demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Worst Crowds May Come After Thanksgiving, Not Before It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The busiest travel days are expected to be Sunday, November 29 and Monday, November 30, when millions of Americans head home after the holiday weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes the return trip particularly important for travelers trying to avoid the largest airport crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 29 million passengers are expected to fly during the 11-day period overall, meaning security lines, airport roads, parking garages and airline gates could all be under heavy pressure at major hubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airlines are encouraging passengers to use carrier apps for flight updates, baggage tracking and schedule changes, especially during peak days when even relatively minor disruptions can quickly spread through a network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Airlines Are Flying Into Thanksgiving With Jet Fuel at Record Levels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest financial pressure facing carriers right now is fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/airlines.org\/news-update\/u-s-airlines-prepare-for-busy-thanksgiving-travel-period-amid-record-high-jet-fuel-costs\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airlines for America<\/a><\/em>, the average jet fuel spot price reached $4.64 per gallon in October, surpassing the previous record set just one month earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The daily Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index remained elevated in November, reaching $4.18 per gallon on November 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That matters because fuel and labor together account for roughly 55% of airline operating expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airlines for America says jet fuel prices have risen at more than six times the pace of airfares since January, meaning carriers have not simply passed the full increase directly on to passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, airlines have been looking for other ways to protect margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe height=\"578\" width=\"325\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/player\/v1\/7701609940561022221?embed_from=oembed&#038;music_info=1&#038;description=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;muted=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Travelers Could Feel the Pressure Through Fewer Flights and Higher Fees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airlines for America says carriers are responding to higher fuel costs by reducing frequencies on some routes, retiring older and less fuel-efficient aircraft, cutting weaker routes and increasing checked-bag fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those measures may matter more to travelers than the fuel price itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A route that operates four times per day can become three. A marginal nonstop can disappear entirely. An older aircraft may be removed from service sooner than planned. Fees can rise even if the base fare appears stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. airlines have already been making these kinds of adjustments throughout 2026 as fuel prices climbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, Airlines for America said carriers were also grounding some aircraft, delaying deliveries and raising fares where necessary in an effort to offset higher costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means Thanksgiving is not simply a story about crowded airports. It comes during a broader period of financial pressure that is forcing airlines to make harder network decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thanksgiving Fares Have Not Risen as Fast as Fuel, but That Does Not Mean Travelers Are Protected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most striking points in the industry data is the gap between fuel prices and ticket prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jet fuel has climbed sharply, yet airfares have increased much more modestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For passengers, that may sound positive. But airlines cannot absorb higher operating costs indefinitely without adjusting somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is why travelers may increasingly notice changes outside the headline ticket price, including fewer flight options, schedule reductions, ancillary fees and capacity cuts on less profitable routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The holiday period itself is unlikely to show the full impact because airlines need large amounts of capacity to handle Thanksgiving demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What happens after the holiday may be just as important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nearly 29 Million Passengers Are About to Test the U.S. Air Travel System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanksgiving remains one of the most demanding periods of the year for American aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airlines are preparing for roughly 2.7 million passengers per day while simultaneously dealing with some of the highest fuel costs the industry has seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For travelers, the immediate advice is simple: expect packed airports, keep airline apps updated and pay particular attention to the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the bigger story extends beyond one holiday weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If fuel costs remain near historic highs, the decisions airlines are making now could continue reshaping routes, schedules and fees well into 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly 29 million Americans are expected to fly over Thanksgiving, just as airlines face record fuel costs that could mean fuller planes, fewer options and more pressure on travelers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190\/revisions\/192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulysse.com\/en\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}