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Thanksgiving Travel 2026: Busiest Days, Delays and How to Plan Around Them

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Thanksgiving is the busiest travel holiday in the United States. The holiday falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and tens of millions of Americans will be on the move in the days around it — most by car, millions by air, and a record number by train. The catch: the main forecast has not been published yet.

This guide gives you what is actually known as of today, November 11, 2026: the firm dates, last year’s verified pattern mapped onto the 2026 calendar, the busiest and quietest days to fly and drive, and how to plan around them. Where a figure is from last year, it is labelled as such — presenting a 2025 number as a 2026 prediction would be guessing.

No 2026 AAA forecast yet — here is what that means

AAA publishes the Thanksgiving travel forecast every year, and it is the number the whole industry plans around. As of November 11, 2026, it has not yet published the 2026 edition. AAA told broadcaster KEYC it expects numbers similar to last year’s 81.8 million travellers rather than a new record — but that is an expectation, not a published forecast.

The timing is normal: AAA published its 2025 forecast on November 17, 2025, and its 2024 forecast on November 18, 2024, so a mid-November release is the pattern to expect. Until it lands, any article claiming to know this year’s exact traveller total is guessing. What follows uses last year’s verified figures, clearly labelled, mapped onto this year’s calendar.

The dates: Thanksgiving week 2026

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026 — the fourth Thursday of November and a federal holiday. Black Friday follows on Friday, November 27. AAA counts the travel period from the Tuesday before to the Monday after: in 2026, Tuesday, November 24 to Monday, November 30.

The outbound rush builds on Tuesday and Wednesday, Thanksgiving Day itself is quiet, and the return rush peaks on the Sunday after. Shifting your trip by even a day — out on Monday, or home on Tuesday instead of Sunday — will likely dodge the worst of it.

Last year, by the numbers

AAA’s 2025 forecast, published November 17, 2025, projected 81.8 million Americans travelling at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday, November 25 and Monday, December 1, 2025 — a record, and 1.6 million more than in 2024. About 73 million were expected to drive, nearly 90% of all holiday travel, and about 6 million to fly domestically. The average round-trip domestic airfare was $700, unchanged from 2024, and Orlando was the most popular destination.

Those are 2025 figures, but they describe the shape of the holiday, not just one year: a rush out before the holiday, a quiet Thursday, and a bigger rush home. Roughly nine in ten Thanksgiving travellers drive, so road congestion affects far more people than airport queues.

The busiest days to fly

The Transportation Security Administration publishes how many people it screens every day, and the 2025 pattern was stark. The Sunday after Thanksgiving was the busiest day in the agency’s history: 3,134,613 people screened. Thanksgiving Day itself was the quietest at 1,559,165 — less than half as many. The Wednesday before saw 2,753,036, the Tuesday 2,675,261, and the Monday after 2,893,451.

Mapped onto 2026, the busiest day at the airport is most likely Sunday, November 29, with Wednesday, November 25 close behind. The quietest is Thanksgiving Day itself — though flying on the holiday means missing the meal, which is why so few do it. Hopper’s guidance points the same way: the least crowded days are Monday, November 23 and Thanksgiving Day; Wednesday and Sunday are the ones to avoid. Hopper also suggests returning on Tuesday, December 1 or Wednesday, December 2 to get past the Sunday rush.

Airfares follow the same shape: AAA’s 2025 forecast noted flying on Thanksgiving Day itself is cheaper, while Sunday and Monday returns push prices up.

Hopper’s projections for Thanksgiving 2026 put Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s LaGuardia among the busiest airports in the country. Connecting through one of those hubs? Build in extra time — a missed connection at a packed hub is the most common way a Thanksgiving trip unravels.

The busiest times to drive

Nearly nine in ten Thanksgiving travellers drive, so the roads matter more than the skies. AAA builds its drive-time guidance with INRIX, a transportation analytics company, and the pattern repeats every year: leave in the morning and you are fine; leave after late morning and you are in it.

In 2025, AAA put the worst traffic on Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday through Sunday in the afternoons and evenings; Thanksgiving Day was minimal traffic. Read by day of the week, that maps onto 2026 as: worst on Tuesday, November 24 from midday, worst of all on Wednesday, November 25 from late morning, and heavy again on Sunday, November 29. The clearest windows are before late morning, and any time on Thanksgiving Day.

If you are driving on Tuesday or Wednesday, leave before 11 a.m. — or accept that a three-hour drive may take five. Check traffic before you leave, keep the tank topped up, and have a backup route in mind. Late November weather can change a drive fast, so check the forecast for the whole route, not just your departure city. Our winter guide covers what to do if a storm hits mid-trip: Winter Storm Preparedness: What to Do Before, During and After a Storm.

What causes the delays

Volume is the first cause: the system runs at its annual peak, so there is no slack when anything goes wrong. Weather is the second: a winter storm over a hub in the week of November 23 would change every pattern in this guide, so check the forecast again in the days before you travel.

The third cause is the knock-on effect: one delayed flight at a busy hub can strand connecting passengers for hours, and one accident on a congested interstate can add an hour to thousands of journeys. So arrive early, keep essentials in your carry-on, and save the airline’s rebooking number.

Trains: Amtrak expects another record

Amtrak has posted its 2026 Thanksgiving plan and expects another record year. In 2025 it carried more than 1.2 million customer trips over Thanksgiving, a nearly 6% increase from 2024. For 2026, it is adding cars to select Northeast Regional trains from November 20 to 30, and two extra Northeast Regional round trips between Washington Union Station and New York Penn Station on November 24–25 and November 28–29. Fifteen NextGen Acela trains are now in service, and the new Airo fleet runs four daily trips on Amtrak Cascades. Seats are expected to sell quickly, and all Amtrak services need a confirmed reservation — book early.

Fuel prices: some good news for drivers

AAA put the national average for regular gasoline at $3.9788 a gallon on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 — the first time below $4 in nearly four months and the lowest since July. That takes a little of the sting out of the trip for drivers.

Booking and packing tips

Book now if you have not already: fares and the best departure times go first, and the cheapest combinations — out early in the week, back after the weekend — sell out first. If you are flying, check in online, arrive earlier than you think you need to, and keep medication, chargers, and a change of clothes in your carry-on in case a checked bag is delayed.

Packing rules still catch people out. Lighters are the classic example: the rules depend on the type and where you carry it, so check before you pack rather than at security. Our guide explains them: Can I Take a Lighter on Airplane: Everything You Need To Know in 2026. Black Friday shopping? Check return deadlines before you buy: Holiday Returns 2026: Deadlines and Rules That Catch Shoppers Out.

Finally, check AAA’s newsroom in mid-November, when the 2026 forecast is most likely to appear — it will replace last year’s pattern used here with this year’s actual totals and drive-time windows. Until then, plan around the shape of last year: a rush on Tuesday and Wednesday, a quiet Thursday, and a bigger rush on Sunday.

FAQ

When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday, November 26, 2026. AAA’s travel period runs November 24 to 30, 2026.

Has AAA published its 2026 Thanksgiving forecast yet?
No — not as of November 11, 2026. AAA published its 2025 forecast on November 17, 2025, and a similar mid-November release is expected. AAA has said it expects numbers similar to last year’s 81.8 million, but that is not a published forecast.

What is the busiest day to travel for Thanksgiving?
Based on last year’s verified pattern, the Sunday after Thanksgiving — November 29, 2026 — is likely the busiest day to fly, with Wednesday, November 25 close behind. The worst road times are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

What is the quietest day to travel?
Thanksgiving Day itself, Thursday, November 26. The TSA screened 1,559,165 people that day last year — less than half the Sunday figure — and AAA marks it as minimal traffic.

Sources

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