Claim that Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day needs context

Millions of Americans are planning to fly or drive to visit loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Over the years, people have claimed that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the holiday period. But is that true?

THE QUESTION

Is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving the busiest travel day for the holiday?

THE SOURCES

• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• AAA

THE ANSWER

Most holiday travel is by car, and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of two days when roads are expected to be at their most congested. For air travel, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day.

WHAT WE FOUND

The busiest travel day of the Thanksgiving holiday differs by mode of transportation.

According to AAA, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest car travel days. For air travel, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) data show. 

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2023, TSA broke a previous record for the most travelers in a single day. The agency screened a total of 2,908,785 passengers on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, marking the busiest air travel day for the 2023 Thanksgiving holiday period, TSA data show. 

In 2024, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is expected to be the busiest air travel day again. TSA says it expects to screen more than 2.8 million people on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, 2.9 million people on Wednesday, and more than 3 million people on the Sunday after the holiday. 

TSA says it is “prepared for the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record.” The agency may exceed its record for the heaviest passenger volume in history – more than 3 million people on Sunday, July 7, 2024 – during the Thanksgiving travel period. 

But data from AAA show that most holiday travel is done via car rather than by plane, train or bus. 

INRIX, a transportation data and insights provider, says the worst times to travel by car over the Thanksgiving holiday period are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, according to AAA.

The best time to travel by car is “Thanksgiving Day itself when interstates and highways are usually clear.” Drivers coming home on Sunday are advised to leave early in the morning, AAA says. 

To get through TSA quickly, passengers should avoid bringing prohibited items through the checkpoint, and make sure all liquids, gels and aerosols in their carry-on bags are 3.4 ounces or less, the agency says.