Travel Agencies Experience Rising Demand on Thanksgiving

As the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, airports and travel agencies throughout the US are currently busy, rife with millions of Americans who traveled to visit loved ones.

The travel industry usually receives a high demand near holidays, especially during Thanksgiving. Since the pandemic, people are encouraged to work from home. Thus, allowing many people to travel early and avoid the last day rush.

Lani Emanuel, who traveled from Los Angeles to Seattle to see her daughter, said that, “So far, so good”. “It was a little tricky finding parking, but it doesn’t seem too crazy busy just yet.”

In addition, at Newark airport, passengers do not have to wait long to pass through the security checkpoints. Airport restaurants are not full, either. 

Regardless, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) advises the passengers to arrive early so there will be extra time for security. Data from Cirium showed that the US carriers also bolster the capacity, anticipating a rising demand on Thanksgiving.

Ramping Up Staffing

Responding to the surge in demands, the TSA will screen around 20 million travelers during the Thanksgiving travel period on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the TSA has screened about 2.21 million travelers, the sixth consecutive day with a checkpoint volume of up to 2 million.

Lorie Dankers, a TSA spokeswoman, said the agency has hired 6,000 new officers this year to deal with the surge in travelers volumes. “So staffing, while we are hiring, will not slow people down this holiday season,” Dankers said.

Travel group AAA calculates that 53.4 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, 13% higher from 2020.