Travel Tips

Thanksgiving Travel: Fewer Flight Delays Expected This Year

Locations in this article:  Chicago, IL Seattle, WA Tacoma, WA

empty_seatsFlying during the Thanksgiving holidays is normally a time of stress, aggravation and often long delays, as the system is stretched to the max and thousands of additional travelers crowd the skies.

However, the trip home to see grandma may well be easier this year: Aviation data company FlightStats just announced the good news that delays are down sharply this fall compared to last fall.

Over the last two and half months only 17 percent of flights arrived more than 15 minutes late, compared to 21 percent in the same period last year, and 26 percent during the fall of 2006.

The number of flights late by more than 45 minutes declined by an even more impressive 20 percent compared to last year.

Industry and government officials attribute the drop to a 6.4 percent reduction in flights nationwide, combined with efforts to alleviate congestion at New York-area airports, where bottlenecks cause about half of the delays around the country.

Plane landing The reduction in flights came as dozens of airlines slashed their flight schedules this fall in an attempt to save money in the face of a weak economy and high fuel prices. This move did drive up prices somewhat, but also allowed passengers to reap some benefits in terms of on-time performance.

Other recent developments promise to further ease delays during the big Thanksgiving rush. President Bush announced last week that he would open up military airspace during the holidays to ease congestion, and three large airports opened additional runways last Thursday (Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles, and Seattle-Tacoma).

In addition, the TSA recently opened “family lanes” at security checkpoints in 48 airports nationwide, with plans to add more.

The lanes are intended to accommodate those with small children or with disabilities who may need more time to get through, thereby speeding the process in the other lanes.

But even if the Thanksgiving travel season goes better than expected, some delays are probably inevitable given the spike in air traffic over the holiday.

So check out how to deal with these almost inevitable flight delays:

By Karen Elowitt for PeterGreenberg.com