How many Thanksgiving flights are there this year? Fewer on the holiday itself than you might expect, and more around it. We compared airline schedules on 45 busy routes across the US for Thanksgiving week with an ordinary week in mid-November, counting every scheduled seat. Airlines are clearly reshaping their flying around how people actually travel for the holiday.
The Big Picture
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, airlines have scheduled 6% more seats on these routes than on a normal Wednesday, about 7,700 extra seats on these routes alone. On the Sunday after, Nov. 29, there are about 3% more.
Thanksgiving Day is the opposite. On Thursday, Nov. 26, airlines have scheduled 42% fewer seats than on a normal Thursday, with 460 flights instead of 830. Plenty of travelers already know Thanksgiving Day is one of the quietest days to fly. The schedules show just how quiet: airlines are taking nearly half their flights out of the sky. If you've ever walked through a strangely empty terminal on Thanksgiving morning, this is why.
Where the Extra Seats Are
The Wednesday additions are going where families and vacationers go. JFK to Fort Lauderdale goes from nine flights to 13, with 39% more seats. JFK to Orlando and JFK to Atlanta both get about 17% more. Las Vegas to San Francisco jumps 48%, and Denver to Los Angeles 20%. The Sunday after shows the same pattern, with Fort Lauderdale flights from both JFK and Newark up 18% as people head home from Florida.
The budget airlines are leaning in hardest. On our routes, Frontier added 17% more seats on Wednesday, JetBlue 15% and Southwest 14%. Delta's Wednesday schedule on these routes is essentially unchanged from a normal week.
Where the Cuts Are
The deepest Thanksgiving Day cuts are on business routes, which empty out for the holiday. Boston to LaGuardia goes from 26 flights on a normal Thursday to six. Even the laptop-and-suit crowd takes the day off. Washington National to Boston drops from 29 to 10, and National to LaGuardia from 16 to six. JFK to San Francisco falls from 23 flights to 10, and Minneapolis to Chicago from 21 to nine.
Some routes barely change, because people do fly on the day itself to reach family. JFK to Atlanta keeps almost its full schedule, and JFK to Orlando loses only about 12% of its seats. Frontier is the outlier among airlines: it's flying almost exactly its normal Thursday schedule on these routes, while American cut 52% of its seats, United 46% and Delta 42%.
What It Means for Your Trip
Wednesday is still the crunch. Even with more seats, it's the most popular day to fly, so book early, expect full planes and pack your patience along with the pie. If you can fly on Thanksgiving Day itself, there are fewer flights to choose from, so check the timing works, but the planes and airports that are running tend to be calmer. That's one reason it's often the best day to fly for the holiday.
Beach and leisure routes have the most new capacity, which can help availability, though not necessarily fares, which are running well above last year. And if you're flying a business route like Boston to New York or Washington to Boston on Thursday, you'll have far fewer backup options if your flight is canceled, so the first flight of the day is the safest bet.
