What’s happening with Thanksgiving flights? Here’s what to know

CNN

By Marnie Hunter, CNN

(CNN) — Air travelers have been on a wild ride this fall with flight cancellations and staffing shortages related to the US government shutdown, on top of the annual Thanksgiving crush at airports still to come.

Here’s what we know about air travel over the busy holiday period, when nearly 6 million Americans took to the skies last year, according to AAA figures.

Will airline flight schedules be restored to normal by then?

Travel insiders and analysts have said that it could take a week or two for airlines to recover from the recent disruptions, and that depends on the shutdown being resolved by this week’s end.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested on Tuesday during remarks at Central Wisconsin Airport that flight reductions might not end immediately after a deal to end the shutdown is reached, but that flights could normalize by Thanksgiving.

“So it depends on, are we going to have air traffic controllers come into work?” Duffy said. “If we have the controllers showing up, I think we’re going to be back to, you know, regular flight schedules again.”

Later on Tuesday, during a press conference at Chicago O’Hare, Duffy said he expects flight issues to be resolved in time for the busy Thanksgiving travel period. A vote in the House Wednesday could bring the government one step closer to reopening.

Ramping flights back up to pre-shutdown levels is a process.

“You can’t just ‘switch the lights back on’ like a generator can during a bad storm,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.com, in an email. “The aviation system will likely see disruptions throughout the week into next, but we can only hope that with more flights being added back, the amount of disruptions starts to come down the other side of the mountain.”

Nastro said the recent high level of disruptions is unlikely to carry into the holiday week if the government reopens quickly. That said, the air traffic controller staffing shortages that prompted the FAA to order flight cuts are likely to be a factor even after schedules are restored.

What are the staffing challenges?

A longstanding air traffic controller shortage worsened with the shutdown, when some workers who were not getting paid did not show up for work. Eventually, the FAA ordered flights cut, which are still on track to incrementally increase through Friday.

DOT Secretary Duffy said that before the shutdown an average of four controllers retired each day. That’s recently jumped to 15 to 20 per day, meaning that “this is going to live on in air travel well beyond the timeframe that this government opens back up,” Duffy told CNN on Sunday.

Passengers arriving at TSA lines at select airports, in Houston and Atlanta, for example, have intermittently experienced long security wait times because of staffing challenges.

What strategies do travelers need to mitigate disruptions?

No matter what happens with the shutdown, travelers should head to the airport for Thanksgiving trips prepared with as many resources as possible for a quick pivot.

Ahead of your travel day, download your airline’s app and enable push notifications about flight changes. Third-party apps such as FlightAware, Flighty and TripIt can also be helpful.

And research flight alternatives, in case your original trip gets disrupted. Travel site Hopper suggests booking with its Disruption Assistance service, which offers rebooking on any airline. Several other booking platforms and airlines offer similar services.

Get to the airport early – at least two hours before domestic flights, but possibly even earlier during the hectic holiday period.

The first flight of the day is a great option, according to Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. “In general, flights departing after 9 a.m. are 2X more likely to be delayed than departures scheduled between 5-8 a.m.,” Berg said in an email.

Right now, flights aren’t usually going out full, so getting on another flight shouldn’t be a problem, said John DiScala, founder of travel site JohnnyJet.com.

“However, if it’s over the holidays, the flights are going out full and you will not be able to get on [another] flight that easy. So you could be stuck. Time is of the essence — you’ve got to hustle.”

Stay on top of your flight status, immediately contact the airline – through the airline app’s chat function, while simultaneously calling the airline, and getting in line for customer service if you’re at the airport. Give yourself as many options as possible to get your situation resolved quickly. “And always be nice,” DiScala added.

See more tips on what to do if your flight is delayed or canceled here.

Should flyers proactively cancel?

Arming yourself with information is critical, but the wait-and-see approach applies as well — particularly now that a government reopening seems closer.

Don’t cancel your own air travel plans over shutdown-related worries unless the airline is going to offer you a full refund, DiScala advises.

For travel this week, most US air travelers can change their tickets — even in basic economy class — free of charge, thanks to waivers rolled out by the airlines for near-term flights. Those waivers would be extended if shutdown-related cuts were to drag on, DiScala says.

DiScala urges travelers making any new ticket purchases to avoid basic economy fares in case any future waivers exclude the cheapest tickets. Airlines also tend to offer waivers when significant storms threaten operations, so keep an eye on the weather.

Use waivers to your advantage, DiScala advises. It’s a free opportunity to tinker with your plans — whether you decide to skip your trip, extend your stay or look for a better itinerary.

Making contingency plans

Making a solid Plan B is worthwhile if it’s critical that you get to your destination quickly.

That could mean purchasing a back-up ticket for at least a few hours later than your original flight on a different airline, DiScala said, “but that’s only if you absolutely need to be somewhere or you’re really worried about it.”

The easiest way to do that is with loyalty points or miles because you can easily redeposit those if you cancel the back-up flight. If you need to purchase a second ticket, be sure to avoid basic economy so that you can cancel for a travel credit that’s typically good for a year.

Making a car rental reservation can be a smart idea in cases of disruption or if you’d consider driving instead. Major rental car players Hertz and Avis reported a spike in one-way rental bookings amid the first waves of flight cuts. Hertz reported a 20% year-over-year increase in one-way bookings over the weekend, noting that many flight cancellations were on shorter, regional routes.

Currently, in some places “rental cars are getting to be either unavailable or come at a premium,” Nastro said.

If you’re flying on a regional route, under 500 miles or so, during a period plagued by disruptions “you might want to consider driving because the regional jets are the first to get canceled,” DiScala said.

While it’s no comfort to passengers on canceled flights, those regional cancellations typically affect fewer passengers, aviation consultant Mike Boyd pointed out. His advice last week as flight cuts were being instituted was to “take a breather” and “relax.”

“It’s a proposed 10% cut in flights, not seats, not passengers. Flights,” Boyd said, noting that reductions in American Airlines flights to Texas destinations such as Waco and Killeen likely affected a total of about 50 people per flight.

Insurance options

Passengers who purchased travel insurance before the government shutdown was announced on October 1 could be in luck because your provider could treat it as an “unforeseen event,” according to Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations at travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth. Check with your insurer on your policy’s fine print.

“For travelers looking to buy insurance for an upcoming trip, the government shutdown will be excluded from standard trip cancellation and interruption coverage, as it is now considered a known event,” Valdez said.

Cancel For Any Reason and Interruption For Any Reason coverage offer the highest level of protection for travelers shopping for insurance right now, she said.

Taking charge in the face of uncertainty

The uncertainty of waiting to see how Thanksgiving could unfold isn’t for everyone. Some Americans have preemptively switched to Plan B to save themselves from the stress.

Alexis Miller-Weissman, who lives in Seattle, bought Amtrak tickets last week as a contingency plan for the trip she’s taking with her husband and stepson to see her parents and other relatives in northern Nevada for Thanksgiving.

That was before a deal started to take shape in Congress on Sunday. But after that news emerged, they decided to go ahead with the train journey from Seattle instead of braving the holiday week at SeaTac airport. She received a credit for their Alaska Airlines tickets, Miller-Weissman wrote in a message to CNN.

The train trip is “29+ hours worth of travel … but it’s scenic and calm.”

CNN’s Chris Boyette, Amanda Musa, Alaa Elassar, Alexandra Skores and Chris Isidore contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.