Travelers prepare for what could be the busiest Thanksgiving in 15 years

(25 Nov 2025) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4620161 RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Denver - 25 November 2025 1. Various of travelers at the airport ++COVERED++ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Walker Powell, traveler: “When I think of Thanksgiving week travel, I think of millions of people flooding through a place altogether at once, which has been the case sometimes. When I fly Wednesdays, the day before Thanksgiving, it can be like that, but this time we flew out Tuesday, and so far it’s been quite a bit better. So I think I’m gonna start doing Tuesdays more.” ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Walker Powell, traveler: “Preparing for travel for Thanksgiving week really comes to long-term preparation of thinking about when we’re gonna fly, what time of day is it gonna be, what day is gonna be. But besides that, it’s just a lot no matter what day we fly. It’s a lot of clothes to pack, it’s a lot of snacks to pack a lot of toys to pack. And so it can be difficult no matter what, but really it’s coordinating and planning on when your flight’s gonna be. Because like I said, Wednesdays are tough, but Tuesdays are a lot better and midday flights seem to be quite a bit better as well.” 4. Various of an arrivals and departures board 5. Various of a luggage carousel 6. Various of Powell and his kids ++COVERED++ 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Walker Powell, traveler: “I’d say get here early and bring snacks if you have kids. Make sure to keep them fed because a whiny kid is not going to make the day any easier.” 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Walker Powell, traveler: “I’ve kind of got a little more experience now. Flying with kids, the first couple of times I did it, was a learning experience. But it’s gotten quite a bit better now.” 9. Airplane taxiing with the Rocky Mountains in the background ++COVERED++ 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Walker Powell, traveler: “Is it worth it to travel for the week of Thanksgiving? A hundred percent. We went back and forth on it for a while, but with our family living in Louisiana and us in Colorado, you don’t get that many times to see each other, especially with the kids seeing their grandparents, you gotta take advantage of any opportunity you get. So it was really important to us to make the trip and suffer through this experience together as a family.” 11. Airplane taking off STORYLINE: The turbulence caused by the longest U.S. government shutdown may still be fresh on the minds of travelers this Thanksgiving, but experts say preparing for the usual holiday crush of winter weather, heavy traffic and crowded airports can help ease the jitters. Travel forecasts point to packed airports, roads and trains. A week after lifting the unprecedented flight restrictions it placed on commercial airlines during the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration is preparing for its busiest Thanksgiving in 15 years, with more than 360,000 flights scheduled between Monday and next Tuesday. That’s more than 17.8 million people who will be screened at airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday at a news conference that air traffic controller staffing levels have stabilized in time for what he says will be the busiest Thanksgiving on record for travel, while the head of the FAA reassured passengers that they can “fly with confidence” this week. With more than 52,000 flights scheduled, the FAA said Tuesday was poised to be a heavy day for air travel. He said traveling to see family during Thanksgiving is “a hundred percent” worth it. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...