The Thanksgiving travel period is in full swing. Today is the last day before Thanksgiving, which means millions of Americans will be taking to the skies to reach their holiday destinations. And myriad more will also be traveling to airports to pick up their incoming loved ones.
But on one of the busiest travel days of the year, flight delays and cancellations are inevitable. Here are some tools to track delays, along with information on which airports are currently experiencing the worst delays and cancellations.
FAA says this is the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years
Earlier this week, Fast Company reported on the American Automobile Association (AAA)’s latest data, which revealed that this Thanksgiving travel period will be the busiest in six years.
The AAA defines the 2025 Thanksgiving travel period as running from Tuesday, November 25, to Monday, December 1. During that time, the AAA says 81.83 million Americans will be traveling by road, air, or other means, including 6.07 million by plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released its own estimation, which largely concurs with the AAA’s data. Last Friday, the FAA announced that this Thanksgiving travel period will be the busiest in 15 years.
The agency says that more than 360,000 flights will take place during the period, shuffling travelers to and from their Thanksgiving destinations. (It’s worth noting that the FAA’s Thanksgiving period differs slightly from the AAA’s period. The FAA says the Thanksgiving period runs from Monday, November 24, to Tuesday, December 2.)
The FAA has also forecast the number of flights in the air for each day over the period, including:
- Monday, November 24: 48,173
- Tuesday, November 25: 52,185
- Wednesday, November 26: 50,130
- Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving): 25,611
- Friday, November 28: 41,560
- Saturday, November 29: 46,288
- Sunday, November 30: 51,268
- Monday, December 1: 49,676
- Tuesday, December 2: 47,423
The more flights scheduled, the greater the chance of delays and cancellations.
This map reveals which airports currently have the most delays and cancellations
Delays and cancellations happen for several reasons. According to the FAA, the top five causes of delays in the National Airspace System (NAS) include:
- Weather (which causes about 62.6% of all delay minutes)
- Volume (13.5%)
- Runway (8.3%)
- Equipment (1%)
- Other/Staffing (14.6%)
In other words, even if it’s sunny and clear skies in the departure or arrival destinations, the sheer volume of scheduled flights, runway availability, equipment issues, and staffing issues can still cause delays.
If you have to make a trip to the airport today for any reason, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on where delays are occurring, as they can not only cause flights to depart later than scheduled but also lead to increased crowds in terminals and parking lots.
FlightAware.com offers an interactive map, aptly named the “Misery Map,” which shows the current delays at some of America’s busiest airports. As of the time of this writing, the Misery Map shows that between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, 63 flights are currently delayed and 3 have been canceled (keep in mind, this information is updated regularly).
The Misery Map shows that the highest number of delays during that time period is at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where nine delays are currently listed. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) currently has the next-most delays, at eight. All three presently listed cancellations for the period are from flights at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).
For the day, FlightAware’s expanded data currently shows 549 delays for U.S. flights, as well as 25 cancellations.
If you do need to head to the airport today, whether to catch a flight or pick someone up, the best practice is to track the relevant flight’s information directly in the airline’s app or on its website, and to contact the airline directly if you have any concerns about delays or cancellations.