Thanksgiving air travel continues in El Paso, across nation despite CDC’s warning to stay home
EL PASO, Texas -- Thanksgiving week air travel is expected to remain strong enough to set a pandemic-era record despite urging from federal health officials to spend the holiday at home.
Since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued that warning last week, nearly 5 million people have boarded airplanes, including hundreds - if not thousands - at El Paso International Airport too.
The Transportation Security Administration receives passenger information from the airlines as part of its screening responsibilities, and the data does not show widespread cancellations in recent days, TSA spokesman Andy Post said.
From September to October, the number of scheduled available seats departing U.S. airports was down nearly 50% compared to the same timeframe last year. Due to increased demand, that number is only down 39% for the Thanksgiving holiday period, according to Airlines for America, a trade association that represents major North American airlines.
Still, officials still expect Sunday -- when everyone heads home from their holiday travels -- to be the busiest day of travel since the pandemic began.
While the number of travelers passing through airport security on Sunday is concerning, many Americans are heeding the warnings from officials and health experts.
Sixty-one percent of Americans said they changed their Thanksgiving plans, according to a poll released this week by Axios-Ipsos. More surprising is that nearly one in 10 Americans that were polled say they do not plan to celebrate the holiday at all.
