FAA expects Tuesday before Thanksgiving to be busiest travel day
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa International Airport was bustling early Tuesday morning as this year, people were extra eager to get to their Thanksgiving destinations.
More than 2.9 million Floridians are expected to travel at least 50 miles this holiday week, and Tuesday is expected to be the busiest of the travel days.
To put it into perspective, experts said this year will be one of the busiest for Thanksgiving travel in more than two decades. Usually, the day before Thanksgiving sees the biggest rush in passengers, but this year, that day came early as the FAA expects Tuesday to report the highest number of flights and passengers.
Air travel has been back to pre-pandemic levels for a while now, but especially with the holiday rush, air travel is expected to recover to 99% of the levels it was at before the pandemic.
Experts said there are a variety of reasons that factor into this year’s busiest travel day coming early like added flexibility due to remote jobs. However, for many, money seems to be a key factor for many families. Many are traveling a day early with the hopes of saving a few bucks on flights, as flight prices are up by at least 8% across the board.
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However, after mass delays and cancelations this summer, many are worried whether airports and airlines will actually be able to handle the holiday rush. Industry leaders are optimistic though as they said that increased hiring and fewer flights will help airlines maintain control over their operations.
Additionally, the Department of Transportation launched its interactive customer service dashboard a few months ago to help passengers easily access information if their flight is delayed or canceled.
Christmas airport crowds can be trickier to predict than Thanksgiving crowds given that the holiday falls on a different weekday each year and that air travel patterns are often dictated by the workweek.
But just as the Sunday after Thanksgiving tends to draw huge crowds, the days just after Christmas are wildly popular. And much like how few people travel on Thanksgiving Day itself, relatively few people travel on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.