Thanksgiving gets back to a new normal: 53M Americans pack airports, board trains and hit the roads as travel hits level not seen since pandemic began. Pricier flights and fuel price spikes all make for testing holiday
Millions of Americans braved high gas prices, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and expensive airline tickets on Wednesday as they got a jump on travel for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The number of travelers surged on Wednesday to levels not seen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March of last year.
Wednesday was expected to be the busiest day for travel in the country: The Transportation Security Administration estimated 20 million people would pass through airport checkpoints nationwide through Sunday, although by late Wednesday afternoon security wait times averaged about 30 minutes at the busiest airports.
AAA also predicts 53.4 million people will travel for Thanksgiving this year - an increase of 13 percent, or 6.4 million more travelers, from last year. Of those, it says, 48.3 million will drive and 4.2 million will fly.
Passengers step off an Amtrak train on the day before Thanksgiving at Union Station in Washington, DC on Wednesday
Vehicles stack up in traffic on their way towards Washington, DC, via I-395 North in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday
Cars travel along the FDR Drive in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday - the day before Thanksgiving
Travelers wait for trains at the Moynihan Station in New York City on Wednesday
People wait in the line to clear through the TSA checkpoint at Miami International Airport on Wednesday
As of 8pm Eastern time, the skies were filled with passenger planes taking travelers to destinations nationwide
Another one million will travel via other means, including rail.
Many feel emboldened by the fact that nearly 200 million Americans are now fully vaccinated.
But it also means brushing aside concerns about a resurgent virus at a time when the United States is now averaging nearly 100,000 new infections a day and hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona are seeing alarming increases in patients.
The seven-day daily average of new reported cases up nearly 30 percent in the last two weeks through Tuesday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Passengers board a train bound for Boston on the day before Thanksgiving at Union Station in Washington, DC
More than 53 million Americans are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend
Travelers take an escalator to the train platform at the Union Station ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated people should not travel, although it is unclear whether that recommendation is having any effect.
'This Thanksgiving, travel will look a lot different than last year,' said Paula Twidale, the senior vice president of AAA Travel. 'Now that the borders are open and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans who are ready to reunite with their loved ones for the holidays.'
But travelers are going to face sky-high fuel prices, and increased car rental and flight prices. Demand is hitting a peak from the slowdown during the coronavirus pandemic amid a global supply chain crisis and fuel spikes.
Between Friday and Tuesday, the TSA already had screened more than 10 million passengers at airports, according to TSA figures; 2.2 million were screened Tuesday - more than double the amount who passed through the gates at the same time in 2020, as the pandemic raged.
From Friday through Tuesday, the number of people flying in the US was more than double the same days last year and less than 9 percent lower than the same days in 2019.
At Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Christian Titus was heading to visit extended family in Canada.
Titus says he's spent much of the pandemic inside but is willing to risk flying on a crowded airplane because he misses being around his family.
He got a booster shot to increase his protection.
'My mental health does better by being around my family during these times,' he said.
Motorists in Northern Virginia are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic as they drive northbound on I-395 toward Washington, DC on Wednesday
The Washington Monument is seen in the background as motorists brave a traffic jam in Arlington, Virginia
Drivers are paying more for gasoline as demand for fuel has surged in recent months, according to the latest data
'Yeah, it's dangerous. But you love these people, so you do what you can to stay safe around them.'
Meka Starling and her husband were excited for many members of their extended family to meet their two-year-old son, Kaiden, for the first time at a big Thanksgiving gathering in Linden, New Jersey.
'We've put pictures on Facebook so a lot of them have seen pictures of him, but to get to actually touch him and talk to him, I'm excited about it,' said Starling, 44, of West Point, Mississippi.
For their part, airlines are hoping to avoid a repeat of the massive flight cancellations — more than 2,300 apiece — that dogged Southwest and American Airlines at different times last month.
The breakdowns started with bad weather in one part of the country and spun out of control. In the past, airlines had enough pilots, flight attendants and other workers to recover from many disruptions within a day or two.
They are finding it harder to bounce back now, however, because they are stretched thin after pushing thousands of employees to quit when travel collapsed last year.
American, Southwest, Delta and United have all been hiring lately, which gives the airlines and industry observers hope that flights will stay on track this week.
'The airlines are prepared for the holidays,' said Helane Becker, an airlines analyst for financial-services firm Cowen.
'They cut back the number of flights, the industry has enough pilots, they are putting more flight attendants through their (training) academies, and they are paying flight attendants a premium — what I'm going to call hazardous-duty pay — to encourage people not to blow off work.'
The airlines have little margin for error right now.
American expected to fill more than 90 percent of its seats with paying customers on Tuesday. That's a throwback to holiday travel before the pandemic.
Travelers wind their way through Moynihan Station in New York City on Wednesday as they seek to beat the holiday rush
A person holds a small child under their coat at Penn Station in New York City on Wednesday
AAA Travel predicts 53.4 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, an increase of 13% from 2020
Travelers wait for trains at the Moynihan Station in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City on Wednesday
The Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station is a recently completed expansion of the train hub, which is the busiest transportation facility of any kind in the Western Hemisphere
Travelers head to the trains at New York City's Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday
On a normal day, Penn Station serves some 600,000 passengers in the New York City metropolitan area
Travelers wait for a train at the Moynihan Train Hall in New York City's Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday
A traveler sits on the floor and waits for a train at the Moynihan Train Hall at New York's Penn Station on Wednesday
Travelers board a Long Island Rail Road train at New York's Penn Station on Wednesday - the day before Thanksgiving
'There is not a lot of room to put people on another flight if something goes wrong,' said Dennis Tajer, a pilot for the airline and a spokesman for the American pilots’ union.
By late afternoon Wednesday on the East Coast, airlines in the US had canceled fewer than 100 flights, an unusually low number, according to FlightAware.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported very few airports affected by significant delays.
'The airport was easy. It took us five minutes to get through security,' said Ashley Gregory, who returned home to Dallas with her husband and daughter after a few days in Jacksonville, Florida.
'But our bags are late,' she added, glancing at the empty baggage carousel at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Several travelers interviewed at DFW said their flights were full but people behaved well.
The Justice Department said Wednesday it will prioritize prosecution of passengers who violate federal law on flights — the latest in a series of crackdowns against violence on planes.
In the worst incidents - some captured on video and posted to social media - flight attendants have been injured.
Casey Murray, president of the pilots' union at Southwest, said he had not received any reports of major incidents involving passengers for several days.
'I don't think anything is going to make video, which is good,' Murray said.
'That's just another layer of stress, complexity and fatigue on top of everything else that is going on.'
At Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, hundreds of travelers waited in security lines snaking around in a half-dozen loops.
The terminals were packed with people, and with seats all taken, travelers sat in floors as they waited for their flights.
There were also long lines for food at a time when some Phoenix airport workers are on strike in a dispute over wages and benefits.
At the Denver airport, Rasheeda Golden arrived from Houston with her boyfriend and his sister on their way to a snowmobiling excursion over Thanksgiving.
'It’s exciting to be traveling now, especially with things opening back up, some sense of normalcy going on. I welcome it,' she said.
NEW YORK: A young girl pointed at the signs in John F. Kennedy Airport Wednesday as her family waited in line to pass through security
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: There was barely any room to move around at Newark International Airport by Wednesday afternoon
NEW YORK: Hundreds of people waited in line Wednesday at the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at JFK Airport
MIAMI, FLORIDA: People waited in line to clear through the TSA checkpoint at Miami International Airport
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A young boy prepared to make his way through a TSA security checkpoint
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Crowds were seen forming at Reagan National Airport ahead of the holiday
WASHINGTON DC: Passengers lifted their suitcases to board an Amtrak train bound for Boston on Wednesday
MIAMI, FLORIDA: People gathered their luggage after arriving at Miami International Airport Wednesday night
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: There were delays reported on Wednesday at Chicago O'Hare International Airport as lines formed
Golden added that she's not worried about flying, but she remains cautious when she is in 'a cluster of too many people.'
'As long as we have our masks on, I've done my part,' she said. 'The rest is to enjoy my vacation.'
For holiday travelers going by car, the biggest pain is likely to be higher prices at the pump.
The nationwide average for gasoline on Tuesday was $3.40 a gallon, according to AAA, up more than 60 percent from last Thanksgiving.
Those prices could be one of several factors that will discourage some holiday travelers.
In a survey conducted by Gasbuddy, which tracks pump prices, about half of the app users who responded said high prices will affect their travel plans this week. About two in five said they aren’t making as many trips for a variety of reasons.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from America's strategic reserve to help bring down energy costs, in coordination with other major energy consuming nations.
The US action is aimed at global energy markets, but also at helping Americans coping with higher inflation and rising prices ahead of Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel.
The price at the pump was a bit of a shock to Tye Reedy, who flew into California from Tennessee and borrowed his friend's truck for some sightseeing.
Gas was running $5 a gallon at the Chevron in Alameda, and it cost $100 to fill up the truck.
'We did not travel last year because of COVID restrictions and all,' Reedy said.
'We're confident enough ... with the vaccine and where things are now with the virus that, you know, we felt comfortable traveling.'
Meanwhile, the TSA is dealing with 4,200 fewer employees to meet increased demand for air travel, as 7 percent of the agency's employees have not received a COVID vaccine in accordance with President Biden's mandate, which went into effect Monday.
But TSA officials said that will not affect Thanksgiving travel and that airline officials have increased their staff.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Passengers at O'Hare waited in line to check their bags at the American Airlines terminal
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Passengers waited in line Wednesday to board an Amtrak train ahead of the holiday
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Travelers waited Wednesday in line near a sign for a COVID testing site
NEW YORK: The TSA expects to screen 20 million passengers at its checkpoints through next Sunday
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: A family attached their baggage claim tags to their suitcases as they prepared to check them
WASHINGTON DC: Groups lined up to board a bus bound for New York's Union Station on Wednesday
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: A dog waited patiently for his owner to check in to their United Airlines flight
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: A fluffy service dog hung out of a woman's backpack as she passed through the terminal
The scene at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was chaotic early Wednesday morning, with swarms of people waiting in long lines to pass through checkpoints and check-in to their flights.
And at New York's LaGuardia Airport, long lines were already forming at the checkpoints as military officials and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolled the area.
By Wednesday afternoon, there was barely any room to move around at nearby Newark International Airport in New Jersey, while in Los Angeles, the airport started filling up around 7am local time.
But Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport is actually expected to be the busiest of the nation's airports, with 154,000 people departing from the hub Wednesday, according to Hopper, an app that predicts flight prices.
Dallas Fort-Worth and Los Angeles airports came in as second and third busiest airports. JFK was still in the top 10, coming in at number nine.
As of Wednesday night, the average wait time to get through security at most airports was just about half an hour.
At New York's JFK airport was about half an hour, while in Miami they averaged about 40 minutes and at LAX they averaged 20 minutes, according to data from iFly, a website that tracks security wait times at airports.
Hartsfield-Jackson had wait times lasting 31 minutes, and at Dallas Fort Worth, the average wait time was about 26 minutes.
NEW YORK: JFK is expected to be the ninth busiest airport during the holiday season
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Children prepared for their flights in winter jackets as their parents unloaded the car
NEW YORK: Of the expected 53.4 million people, the majority, 48.3 million people, are expected to drive
NEW YORK: AAA also predicts that 53.4 million people will travel for the holiday this year - an increase of 13 percent, or 6.4 million more travelers, from last year
NEW YORK: A man carried his bags into John F. Kennedy Airport as day broke early Wednesday morning
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Wednesday was gearing up to be the busiest travel day in the United States
NEW YORK: A man at JFK was seen carrying flowers, as millions of Americans fly home to meet up with their loved ones
NEW YORK: Passengers passed through Terminal 8 at JFK Wednesday morning as they waited for their flights
NEW YORK: A young girl used her mother's suitcase as a seat as they waited in line at bag drop
WASHINGTON DC: A man raced to catch his Amtrak train on the day before Thanksgiving
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: People waited for their luggage at baggage claim as they went home for the holidays
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: The scene at Newark Liberty International Airport Wednesday as the TSA prepared to screen millions
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Passengers arrived at the terminal of the Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday
SEATTLE, WASHINTON: People checked into Alaska Airlines ticketing kiosks at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
MIAMI, FLORIDA: People rolled their luggage out of the airport after finding it at baggage claim
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A traveler boarded an Amtrak train ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday
MIAMI, FLORIDA: The line to get through security at Miami International Airport was chaotic on Wednesday
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Travelers waited in line at a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport
NEW YORK: One man was seen charging and listening to music as he waited
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Passengers rushed to get to their planes the day before the Thanksgiving holiday
NEW YORK: A girl checked her phone as her father carried her through the TSA checkpoint Wednesday
MIAMI, FLORIDA: A couple arrived at Miami International Airport on Wednesday ahead of their flight
NEW YORK: A man kept his chihuahua warm in the frigid weather Wednesday as he waited for his plane at LaGuardia Airport
Airlines are adding more staff to deal with the Thanksgiving surge, offering overtime or bonuses for employees who work the holiday, and TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein tweeted on Monday morning that the vaccine mandate would not affect airline travel.
She wrote: 'Approximately 93 percent of @TSA employees are in compliance with today's deadline for the federal employee vaccine mandate and exemption requirements. The employee vaccine mandate will not impact holiday travel. Happy Thanksgiving!'
Delta has hired 8,000 new employees, including 1,500 reservation agents, Reuters reports, and Southwest hired more than 4,500 employees in the past few months.
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue also are offering bonuses, higher pay and other incentives to ensure they have enough workers to meet the demand, and Southwest has cut its flight schedule to enhance on-time performance. It also added more employees to its customer relations department.
Still, there were delays reported Wednesday at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
Colorado officials also warned travelers that mountain snow, and runway construction was expected to cause some delays at Dallas Love Airport overnight.
Meanwhile in California, a red flag warning - meaning fiery conditions are likely - could affect some travel.
NEW YORK: Cars were seen trying to enter the Holland Tunnel into New Jersey as a sign warned drivers to stay in their lanes
NEW YORK: JFK Airport was swarming with long lines of people Wednesday morning, before the Thanksgiving holiday
DENVER, COLORADO: Travelers entered the terminal from an underground train at Denver International Airport on Tuesday
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: People checked into their American Airlines flight as crowds started to form
NEW YORK: Airline officials have said that for Wednesday they have deployed more staff to deal with the pent-up demand for Thanksgiving travel
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Lines were also starting to form Wednesday afternoon at budget airline Frontier
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: People lined up to drop off their baggage at the Alaska Airlines check-in terminal
NEW YORK: The roads were already starting to get jammed up with traffic on Wednesday afternoon
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: A passenger carries several bags as she arrives at the ticketing level at Seattle-Tacoma Airport
WASHINGTON DC: An elderly man disembarks from an Amtrak train in Washington DC
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Groups waited for their cars at Newark International Airport on Wednesday
NEW YORK: A majority of those traveling for the holidays are expected to drive
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Masked passengers made their way through the TSA security point lines
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A traveler boarded an Amtrak train a day ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday
NEW YORK: Crowds of passengers waited to board trains Wednesday at New York's new Moynihan Train Hall in Penn Station
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Passengers waited for the elevators at Newark International Airport
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