Airports and the lines through security are getting busy ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. According to travel data, the busiest travel days for DFW International Airport will be Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Sunday, November 28. Wednesday expects approximately 260,000 travelers going through TSA in Dallas.
Airlines are expected to experience more normalcy return during this holiday travel season. With the large influx of travelers, there may be a sense of worry after witnessing the operational disruptions experienced this fall with mass delays and cancellations in American and Southwest Airlines.
DFW International and Dallas Love Field airports will see more travelers than in the past two years. DFW International Airport expects as many as 2.3 million travelers over Thanksgiving from November 18 to November 29. The biggest travel day by far will be November 28, when people are expected to return to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Airlines will continue to face COVID-era issues such as limited staffing, cancellations, delays, mask mandates, and vaccine requirements. To combat the possible strain, airlines are offering bonus pay and airline miles to incentivize pilots and airline employees to work extra hours.
The deadline for federal workers to be vaccinated was November 22. On Monday, the White House released a statement stating ninety- five percent of federal employees have started the vaccination process. This percentage includes fully vaccinated people, those who have received one dose, or who have submitted a medical exemption.
In a tweet from Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, dated November 22, 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.”
On a national level, the Transportation Security Administration expects over 20 million people to travel between November 19 and November 29. Delta predicts over 500,000 travelers, which the TSA says is “well over the previous single-day post-downturn record of 516,000 set this summer.” Booking flights earlier and returning after the holiday will afford you more time and less stress. Data collected shows the heaviest traffic for DFW International Airport and Love Field throughout the Thanksgiving holiday week.