Thanksgiving travel: United Airlines expects busiest day since start of pandemic
United Airlines expects to service 5.5M passengers during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period
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United Airlines said on Wednesday that it expects to serve 5.5 million passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period, up about 12% over the same time last year.
The carrier will operate more than 3,700 flights on average each day from Nov. 18-30.
United forecasts it will carry about as many passengers over the holiday as the pre-pandemic period in 2019.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: A United Airlines plane lands at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, United States on September 15, 2022. ((Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
United also predicted that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be its busiest travel day since before the pandemic, with an estimate of over 460,000 passengers. The airline added about 275 flights to Sunday's schedule to help accommodate the demand.
The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 14.9 million passengers during the week ending Tuesday.
People sit onboard a United Airlines jet aircraft in air, July 25, 2022. ((Photo by Gado/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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In a new forecast, AAA said the number of people traveling during Thanksgiving is expected to rise to just shy of pre-pandemic levels.
The auto club said 4.5 million Americans are expected to fly during the year's long holiday weekend, a nearly 8% increase over 2021.
United Airlines aircraft is seen at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on July 1, 2022, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) ((Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
According to AAA, that's an uptick of more than 330,000 travelers and nearly 99% of the 2019 volume.
"Airport parking spaces fill up fast, so reserve a spot ahead of time and arrive early," Paula Twidale, AAA’s senior vice president of travel, said in a statement. "Anticipate long TSA lines. If possible, avoid checking a bag to allow for more flexibility if flights are delayed or you need to reschedule."
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Reuters contributed to this report.