(NewsNation) — This holiday season is expected to bring some of the busiest travel days in United States history, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference a few days before Thanksgiving.
This prediction comes after a summer that was already filled with record-breaking air travel, Buttigieg noted.
Skies will be “extremely busy,” newly confirmed FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said at the news conference, with current estimates at 49,600 flights taking to the skies Wednesday.
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“That eclipses last year,” Whitaker said. “We will be working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destination safely.”
To handle the volume of people going through the East Coast, Whitaker said the FAA will open the Holiday Airspace Release Program and Holiday Gulf routes. This is restricted airspace off the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico the military releases to the FAA for commercial planes.
In addition, the FAA has cleared 169 new, faster routes along the East Coast to shorten flight times, and coordinated with the commercial space industry to make sure no launches are scheduled around this time, opening even more airpace, Whitaker said.
From Nov. 17 through Nov. 28, the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen an unprecedented 30 million passengers. Another estimated 2.9 million passengers are anticipated to fly the Sunday after Thanksgiving as well. In total, AAA expects 4.7 million to fly to their Thanksgiving destinations this year, which is 6.6% more compared to 2022 and the highest number of air travelers during this time period since 2005.
“We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said, adding that 2023 has already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in the agency’s history.
Bad weather that could affect Thanksgiving travel is on the horizon, Buttigieg warned, adding that the FAA is working closely with airlines to plan for and around it. While National Weather Service meteorologists are handling high-altitude traffic and giving weather predictions, Buttigieg urged travelers to check with their airlines directly for the most up-to-date information about their flights.
Thousands of flights were canceled due to storms last holiday season, stranding some passengers.
After some of the “failures” of the previous year, the transportation department has done a lot of work to improve the system, Buttigieg told NewsNation in an interview, and it is continuing to work on several new rules that would add further protection for air travelers.
“So far this year, we’ve actually seen the cancellation rate go back down, and we’ve seen a lot of improvement in the system since then,” Buttigieg said Monday during “NewsNation Now.” At the earlier press conference, Buttigieg said the cancellation rate so far is at 1.3% for 2023.
He stressed that if someone’s flight gets canceled or significantly delayed, they are entitled to a full cash refund if they choose not to rebook the flight. If the airline does not honor this agreement, that’s where the Department of Transportation comes in, Buttigieg said.
“Since President Biden took office, we have helped get airlines to issue over $2.5 billion in refunds,” Buttigieg said.
Passengers can go to flightrights.gov to see the kinds of accommodations and compensation they are eligible for.
Those getting behind the wheel this year can also expect a lot of fellow travelers: AAA is projecting 49.1 million Americans will drive for Thanksgiving — an increase of the 1.7% of those who did last year.
“For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday, we expect more people on the roads, skies, and seas compared to 2022,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “Travel demand has been strong all year, and AAA’s Thanksgiving forecast reflects that continued desire to get away and spend time with loved ones.”
Some good news for drivers is that AAA is expecting them to pay less for gas, as the national average price peaked at $3.87 in mid-August and has since been coming down despite global tensions.