The Brief
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Nearly 82 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, either by plane, car or other forms of transit.
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Here are some tips on how to get through the holiday travel rush.
The Federal Aviation Administration is gearing up for what it predicts will be its busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years.
Here are some tips for getting through the holiday rush.
Peak travel days
By the numbers
According to AAA, nearly 82 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, either by plane, car or other forms of transit. That would make it the busiest travel week ever.
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, US, on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The FAA says more than 360,000 flights are scheduled for Thanksgiving week.
Timeline
Tuesday is expected to be the busiest airport travel day with more than 52,000 flights scheduled.
Get there early
TSA recommends arriving at the airport at least two hours before a scheduled domestic flight, and three hours for an international flight. There could be some unexpected hiccups as airlines and airports recover from the government shutdown.
MORE: Thanksgiving 2025: Restaurants that will be open for the holiday
TSA says you can download the MyTSA app to check how busy your airport will likely be based on historical data.
‘Pack safe’
If you want to avoid delays in the already long airport security lines, then don’t pack anything that’s banned from carry-ons. The same goes for checked bags at the airline’s service desk.
Check the TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” page to make sure your bags are properly packed.
Missed flights
What you can do
If you get stuck in traffic or long TSA lines, call your airline or message them on their app to let them know you’re going to miss your flight. Then see what your rebooking options are.
If you’re already at the airport, you can get in line at the airline’s customer service desk, or speak to a gate agent if you’ve already made it through security. You can also look at the departure screens to see the next scheduled flights.
RELATED: TSA may charge passengers without REAL ID or passport: What we know
Be prepared to pay a fee to change your flight — and that fee could be pretty high given holiday demand.
If you missed your flight because your previous flight was delayed, most airlines will rebook you for free.
Canceled flights
If your flight is significantly delayed or canceled and it’s the airline’s fault, passengers have rights. You can check the Transportation Department’s Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard and see the top 10 U.S. airlines’ policies on what passengers are owed for flight cancellations.
For more holiday airport travel tips, you can check out the FAA’s Holiday Travel page.
Driving tips
According to Allstate’s holiday travel report, If you’re driving to your destination, Wednesday and Sunday will be the busiest highway days.
The most congested times will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. But you can expect a morning rush Thursday and Friday from 7-11 a.m.
When it comes to bad driver behavior, Allstate found that more people will look at their phone while driving on Tuesday night and Sunday evening.
Expect more speeding on Sunday morning as people head home, and more hard braking midday Thursday as people run last-minute errands and encounter local traffic congestion.
The Source
This report includes information from the US Department of Transportation, FAA, TSA and Allstate.