Instead of anticipating stress-free travel this week, Americans set out with hope as storms, snow, delayed flights, and strike action are all predicted during what may be the busiest holiday travel period on record.
Much of the country might see travel congestion due to two large storm systems that could dump snow and rain on major towns and communities. Since Friday, bad weather has caused 17,000 flights nationwide to be canceled or delayed.
By Monday night, flight tracker FlightAware reported 60 cancellations and 3,760 delays, with San Francisco being the most impacted transportation hub. Travel into and out of the US is included in those figures. Over the course of the week, much more disruption is anticipated.
After voting to go on strike Friday, service employees at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina left their jobs at 5 a.m. Monday, making things more difficult for some. The SEIU declared its intention to “end poverty wages” and to demand “respect on the job during the holiday travel season.”
Employees of Prospect Airport Services and ABM, who are responsible for cleaning aircraft and helping passengers in wheelchairs, are on strike. In May, workers there went on strike as well.
The impact of the strike was not immediately visible on the airport’s online departures board. With over 25 million passengers each year, Charlotte Douglas is the ninth-busiest airport in the US.
A few dozen SEIU employees, some of whom were carrying posters that said, “Airport workers will shut it down,” staged a protest for improved wages and more affordable health care at Los Angeles International Airport later Monday. This could cause delays for West Coast travelers. The minimum wage should be raised from $25 to $30 per hour, according to the union.
Millions of travelers already stressed
Traveler Marc Supreme says he is concerned that the Midwest may see more severe weather this week after it took him 12 hours to go from Peoria, Illinois, to Atlanta on Thursday due to ice and snow.
“It does, particularly because I was unaware of the weather at all. I should have checked, so I guess it’s one of the things for the holidays, make sure you check the weather, because I had no clue that I was going to take 12 hours to get to Atlanta,” he said while waiting at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on his way back to Illinois.
Emma Welch, a college student studying law in Chicago, had flown into Atlanta on Sunday and expressed some concern about possible travel chaos given the impending tests.
“A little bit, just because of finals and stuff, but hopefully it’ll all be fine,” she replied. She claimed that when she booked her return trip, she was unaware that Sunday would be one of the busiest travel days of the year. She will arrive with four hours to spare, instead of arriving three hours early to avoid any issues.
Between Tuesday and next Monday, some 80 million individuals are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their homes using the roadways, railroads, airplanes, and even cruise ships.
According to TSA Administrator David Pekoske on X, this Thanksgiving will be the busiest in terms of air travel ever. Thankfully, our workforce is also at its highest point in history. We’re prepared.
A later Thanksgiving than usual—this year’s final Thursday is November 28—may result in more people traveling home on Monday and Tuesday rather than extending their stays.
Many are heading South, with both Orlando and Miami’s main airports each expecting 1.9 million travelers to pass through over the 12-day travel period.
Weather woes hit festive plans
NBC meteorologist Michelle Grossman said two separate storm systems were due to bring bad weather to different parts of the country. On Monday and Tuesday, the Rockies and the Cascades could face high winds and snow, making travel difficult in mountain areas. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan may receive up to 5 inches of snow, while other regions may receive 1 to 5 inches.
This weather system is then set to move east, causing potential problems on roads with up to an inch of rain from the Southeast to the Northeast although the afternoon could be drier. On Wednesday, that storm will intensify and expand, bringing a wintry mix of rain, snow and strong winds.
Thanksgiving Day will be a wet one for much of the Eastern Seaboard, from New England down to the South, while in the northern states it could be bitterly cold, reaching 26 degrees in Minnesota.
The second storm system is set to have an effect from California to New England, with widespread heavy rain and snow in mountain ranges. On Monday, the Pacific Northwest could see between 1 and 3 inches of rain and the highest parts of the southern Sierra Nevada could see 3 to 4 feet of snow.
Best times to travel?
The vast majority of trips this Thanksgiving will be on the road, with 71.7 million car journeys surpassing last year’s figure by 1.3 million helped in no small part by lower gas prices, which could reach a national average of $3 a gallon this week.
Data from transport analysts INRIX shows that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon will be the busiest times on the roads. But people may not realize that Thanksgiving Day itself is typically clear.
“We do recommend, [on] Tuesday and Wednesday try to leave early in the morning, the afternoon hours are the worst,” Aixa Diaz, AAA spokesperson, told NBC News.
“We always say traveling on the holiday itself is the best day to travel, not only because if you’re flying it’s cheaper tickets, but also there are just fewer people on the roads and at the airports,” she said.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!