Holiday Weekend Travel Surge: Thanksgiving Brings Record Numbers to Airports

Published on December 1, 2025

As millions of people make their way back after Thanksgiving weekend and family festivities and trips, all for the Thanksgiving holiday, Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close. John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio is among the busiest travel hubs as the holiday travel rush and busy travel surge is felt nationally, and roads and airports fill. while minor Arrival and Departure delays have been reported, as are flight delays for people leaving the airport, there is still a smooth transition for holiday travel and the operation of the airport.

Thanksgiving is a holiday for American families to reunite, take vacations and enjoy the holiday together with one another. This holiday is also one of the biggest travel events in the United States and is the one holiday where the United States sees the biggest travel surge. Air carrier and car travel is a predictable trend, and while the holiday also consists of Thanksgiving , the quad holiday is expected to see its biggest surge and this is the first holiday weekend where the travel levels are reminiscent of pre-pandemic times.

The John Glenn International Airport sees a surge in travel:

As one of the most internationally recognised travel hubs in the state of Ohio, John Glenn International Airport receives mass amounts of people traveling to the airport to leave the airport. With the long weekend coming to a close and the Thanksgiving holiday travel festival coming to an end, people will be wanting to travel to home. Passengers of the airport will no doubt be met with a busy airport and lots of people in the terminal, long delays with and customers will no doubt see slow airplanes and lengthy delays with expecting later flight times of the day. The airport also states that there are a coupe of delays expected ground boarding to take place but for people in line, the airport is expected to have most customers smooth travel boarding.

There has also been very heavy traffic reported at major U.S. airports like Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta and LA International and LaGuardia in New York, especially at early morning and late night flights. While some airlines are running on time, the weather presents a primitive variable, and some areas, especially the Northeast and Midwest, are just entering winter weather the surrounding regions are experiencing. Other areas are just experiencing regional weather, complained some airlines, citing weather as a delay for on time schedules. Other airlines are just entering winter weather.

The weather has been stable and airports and airlines are maintaining a normal level of responsive operations. Many have changed their habits for flying during the holidays, routinely arriving at airports numerous hours in advance, checking-in online and skipping various lines. I feel like most of the people at Glenn International and the other major airports are just happy to have another mobility holiday, and to have the resilience, to travel home after the holiday.

Road Travel: Congestion on Major Highways

As the travel demand continues to increase, so do the delays on the nation’s interstate highways. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), close to 50 million drivers are expected to join the Thanksgiving holiday traffic, a steep increase over last year.

Urban travelers are experiencing the impact of holiday traffic. Growing delays on Interstates 70 and 95 and Interstate 40 increase tailgating collisions and lead to frustration. Road users returning to mini-vacations from Columbus, Chicago, and New York City prior to the Sunday afternoon peak are finding long delays from the expected light congestion. Heavy congestion delays and the tailgating caused by gap changes of 1 to 2 seconds and other aggressive city driving collisions inclusive, make every small travel delay in the boarding queues twice as long.

Thanksgiving break traffic holiday encompasses several days, including the holiday itself, and many travelers take to the open road, necessitating the need for refueling and breaks. With the abundance of travelers, there are longer waiting periods to get gas and take breaks at rest stops, which is always the case during Thanksgiving. Knowing how traffic is, many travelers plan to leave during the least crowded times in order to avoid staying in traffic for a long time.

Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend Travel for Tourism

A long holiday weekend means that many travelers are heading to their Thanksgiving holiday destination, but they are not the only ones traveling. Because of the time off work and school, many take the opportunity to travel to popular venues. Las Vegas, New York, and Orlando are some of the major cities that see a large increase in their tourist attractions and activities that are there and some… especially the small businesses during that holiday season. Because of the holiday time, cultural places, and even the shopping places that are in the large cities, there is a need to accommodate and expect a large number of visitors during the holiday.

Travel demand for the Thanksgiving holiday is coupled with the Black Friday shopping ads, which drives the “holiday shopping massacre”. This shopping craziness includes cube hotels and long stay parking on popular retail destination travel. Because of the shopping and the crazy traffic for the holiday, the Thanksgiving holiday has become a holiday in itself. Many people take the opportunity to travel during the holidays for winter break, ski resorts, and holiday markets.The tourism sector has acknowledged the significance of this time of the year, and adequately prepared for it. Hotels, restaurants and entertainment outlets have been busy guaranteeing that tourists receive appropriate service and activities. Travel accommodation demands continue to drive the economy of tourist hotspots.

Travelling Back: Tips for Optimal Travel During the Busy Season.

After the Thanksgiving weekend, the travel sector advises expecting delays and congestion. To expedite travel during this time, consider the following:

Arrive Early: For air travel, it is, for instance, advisable to arrive two hours before for domestic and three hours for international flights. Most airports will be busier and have longer queues with more flights.

Check Flight Status: When going to the airport, make sure there are no delays, and that flights are not cancelled. To help with this, many airlines provide mobile apps that enable tracking of flights.

Travel During Off Peak Hours: For land travel, do your best to travel as far from early afternoon and late evening periods. To save time, plan your journey outside of these busy times.

Be Aware of the Weather: Always check the weather for the route of your trip, especially for air travel. Check forecasts for destinations and any travel stops on your route and be particularly aware of any travel areas with snow, rain, or high winds.

Be Prepared: Long waits or delays are possible with air travel and on road trips. Especially with kids, be prepared with lots of snacks and entertainment.

The Future of Holiday Travel

With the holiday travel season underway, the Thanksgiving holiday travel period has already been one of the most traveled holidays of the year. With travel levels reaching post-travel pandemic levels, this holiday winter period and beyond will be one of the busiest travel times for the tourism and transportation sectors. Passengers will continue to be the focus of investments made by airports and other travel authorities. With holiday travel congestion, the focus will remain on travel experience improvements to lessen the impact of delays.