Getaway Day: Here's the Flight Outlook so Far for Thanksgiving Travel
The busy Thanksgiving travel days have arrived. The days surrounding Turkey Day this year are expected to see record-breaking levels of air passengers -- and that means crowded airports and long lines at TSA checkpoints. While there are ways to prepare for a busy airport and your commute to the airport, there is nothing you can do to control if your flight is delayed or change the weather.
According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking service, as of 11:00 AM EST, more than 60 flights have been canceled and nearly 800 have been delayed within, into or out of the United States. So far just four flights have been canceled for Friday and zero have been delayed, but these numbers will likely rise. Globally, more than 6,000 flights have been delayed today and 423 have been cancelled.
The East and West Coasts are expecting harsh weather conditions that will cause the most delays and cancelations in the US. The Bay Area is expecting heavy rains over the next few days and flights leaving San Francisco International Airport (SFO) make up for 3% of the canceled and delayed flights. Passengers heading into SFO can expect even more delays; 66 flights landing at SFO are delayed and 21 have been canceled.
Over on the east, a storm is bringing snow and rain. Travelers going to and from Boston and New York can expect the most trouble; 5% of flights departing from Boston's Logan International Airport and 3% landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) are delayed.
Travelers at these 10 airports will also face the most passenger traffic over the Thanksgiving weekend rush.
If you're one of the 25 million travelers TSA is expecting to screen during this holiday, be on the look out for your airline's travel waiver and keep track of your flight. Remember, there are a handful of credit cards that offer trip delay reimbursements.
