55 Million Americans taking off for Thanksgiving, warnings about delays, cancellations and staying healthy

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#USA, November 24, 2022 – This Thanksgiving is expected to be the third busiest one for travel in the US since 2000 and with 55 million Americans set to travel, it’s a three year high just two percent short of the 2019 season.

The bookings were announced by the American Automobile Association with Wednesday heralded as the busiest day of all.  Flight tracker app flight aware said more than 1,000 flights experienced  delays on Wednesday with at least 35 cancellations .

Of the total number of travelers 4.5 million Americans will be flying and 1.4 million are going out of town for Thanksgiving by bus, train, or cruise ship; it represents a 23 percent increase over 2021.

While the travel rebound is welcome, warnings about what to expect are already being issued.

Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel said in a press release .  “Plan ahead and pack your patience, whether you’re driving or flying.”  Long TSA lines and wait times are also anticipated with the agency maintaining that it can handle the rush.  “We expect to be busier this year than last year at this time, and probably very close to pre-pandemic levels,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske said last week.  “We are prepared to handle the projected increase in travel volumes.”

Also unfortunate for travelers are higher fares as a result of demand, Reuters is reporting that tickets are up seventeen percent in some cases.

In addition health will also be a factor as millions mingle in airports, trains, buses and cruise ships.  Most of the United States’ internal covid protocols including mandatory mask wearing and vaccination checks have been dropped.  Add to these changes from last Thanksgiving season, RSV and Flu are in heavy circulation, which is an extra risk for travellers.

Meanwhile, the United States is still averaging more than 40,000 cases of Covid-19 a day.