A travelers check flight information at LAX because the shutdown passes the one-month mark, leaving essential staff unpaid in Los Angeles, California, on November 5, 2025.
Grace Hie Yoon | Anadolu | Getty Images
U.S. airlines are predicting one other record Thanksgiving holiday travel period and are upbeat now that the travel-snarling government shutdown has ended.
Airlines will carry greater than 31 million people between Friday, Nov. 21, and Monday, Dec. 1, Airlines for America, a lobbying group representing the most important U.S. carriers, predicted Thursday. The busiest days are expected to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with about 3.4 million people flying, followed by the Monday after Thanksgiving, with around 3.1 passengers.
Airline executives have expressed relief after the longest-ever government shutdown ended Nov. 12. Shortages of air traffic controllers, who were required to work without their regular pay, delayed and canceled flights, disrupting travel plans for some 6 million people, A4A said.
The industry is now pushing lawmakers to pass laws to be certain that air traffic controllers are paid within the case of one other shutdown, with executives complaining in recent weeks about air travel becoming a political bargaining chip. The most recent bill funds the federal government only through January, so industry members are hoping to avoid a repeat of the closure just before winter break and spring break seasons begin.
Bank of America estimated the large network airlines could see an operating income hit of $150 million to $200 million and smaller carriers would see an impact of $100 million due to the shutdown, but airlines have not yet come out with revised estimates.
Some travelers gave the impression to be waiting until the shutdown ended before booking their travel.
United Airlines said bookings between Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 were up 16% compared with the prior weekend, when air travel disruptions spiked.
The carrier also said bookings for international trips are at a record for the vacation period, up 10% over last 12 months, with Cancun, Mexico, and major European hubs in London and Frankfurt, Germany, as top destinations.
Overall, United forecast it’s going to fly 6.6 million customers between Nov. 20 and Dec. 2., up greater than 4% from last 12 months.
The biggest U.S. carriers’ international capability is up about 5% between Nov. 26 and Nov. 30 compared with an identical period last 12 months, in keeping with aviation-data firm Cirium, while domestic capability is about 2% higher.
American Airlines said it plans to run 80,759 flights from Nov. 20 through Dec. 2., greater than any airline.
“The Thanksgiving holiday period is some of the condensed and most vital for our customers — the stakes are high, and the American team is able to deliver,” American’s Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said in a news release.
Not all airlines have beefed up their schedules, nonetheless. Budget carrier Spirit Airlines, in its second bankruptcy in lower than a 12 months, has slashed capability and furloughed lots of of pilots to chop costs because it seeks to search out more solid financial footing.
Spirit’s domestic flying capability is down near 40% from a 12 months earlier, Cirium data shows.
