Sunday, November 29, is on track to be the heaviest day at U.S. airports this Thanksgiving, while Thanksgiving Day, November 26, has been the lightest. TSA records show the Sunday after Thanksgiving set the agency’s all-time record of 3.13 million travelers in 2025, while Thanksgiving Day saw about 1.56 million.
Key Takeaways
- TSA screened 3,133,924 people on November 30, 2025, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the highest single-day total in the agency’s history.
- Thanksgiving Day 2025 was the lightest travel day of the year, with 1,559,165 people screened.
- The Sunday after Thanksgiving was the year’s peak travel day in 2023, 2024, and 2025, at 2,908,785, 3,088,836, and 3,134,613 people screened.
- In 2025, checkpoints averaged about 2.65 million people a day from the Friday before Thanksgiving through Wednesday, and about 2.91 million from Saturday through Monday after.
- The Wednesday before Thanksgiving drew 2,753,036 travelers in 2025, well below the Sunday return peak.
- AAA and TSA are expected to release their 2026 Thanksgiving forecasts later in November.
TSA Records Point to Sunday, November 29, as the Peak
The common belief that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the hardest day to fly does not match TSA’s records. The heaviest day of Thanksgiving week has consistently been the Sunday after the holiday, when travelers head home at the same time. With Thanksgiving falling on Thursday, November 26, 2026, that Sunday is November 29.
The 2025 numbers show how sharp the peak has become. On November 30, 2025, TSA announced it had screened 3,133,924 people, beating the previous record of 3,096,797 set on June 22 of that year. All 10 of the busiest days in TSA history now fall within 2024 and 2025, eight of them in 2025.
Thanksgiving Day Is the Lightest Day to Fly
On the other side of the calendar, Thanksgiving Day has been the quietest day at airport checkpoints. On November 27, 2025, TSA screened 1,559,165 people, the lowest total of the year. Three days later, checkpoints handled about double that number. Most holiday travelers have already arrived by Thursday morning, which leaves checkpoints with far fewer travelers on the holiday itself.
For travelers with flexible schedules, flying on Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after means moving against the main flow of traffic. In 2025, the Friday after Thanksgiving drew 2,392,036 people, the second-lightest day of the holiday window.
How Each Day of Thanksgiving Week Compared in 2025
TSA’s 2025 daily counts show the full shape of the holiday week. The table below lists each 2025 day alongside the matching date in 2026.
| 2025 Date | Day | TSA Screenings | Matching 2026 Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 21 | Friday before | 2,792,495 | Nov. 20 |
| Nov. 22 | Saturday before | 2,482,593 | Nov. 21 |
| Nov. 23 | Sunday before | 2,617,142 | Nov. 22 |
| Nov. 24 | Monday before | 2,563,877 | Nov. 23 |
| Nov. 25 | Tuesday before | 2,675,261 | Nov. 24 |
| Nov. 26 | Wednesday before | 2,753,036 | Nov. 25 |
| Nov. 27 | Thanksgiving Day | 1,559,165 | Nov. 26 |
| Nov. 28 | Friday after | 2,392,036 | Nov. 27 |
| Nov. 29 | Saturday after | 2,696,816 | Nov. 28 |
| Nov. 30 | Sunday after | 3,134,613 | Nov. 29 |
| Dec. 1 | Monday after | 2,893,451 | Nov. 30 |
TSA’s announced figure for November 30, 2025, was 3,133,924; the agency’s data table now shows a slightly revised 3,134,613.
The Wednesday Before Thanksgiving Is Busy, Not the Peak
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving remains a heavy travel day, but in 2025 it sat below several other days in the window. Its 2,753,036 screenings trailed the Friday before Thanksgiving, which drew 2,792,495, and the Monday after, which drew 2,893,451. The outbound crowd is spread across the week as travelers leave on different days, while the return trip concentrates into the weekend. In 2025, the Friday-through-Wednesday stretch before the holiday averaged about 2.65 million people a day, compared with about 2.91 million over the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday after.
The Return Weekend Has Set the Pace Three Years Running
The Sunday-after pattern has held for several years. TSA records show 2,908,785 people screened on November 26, 2023, and 3,088,836 on December 1, 2024, each the peak day of its year. TSA’s 2022 records show 2,639,616 screened on November 27, 2022, the Sunday after Thanksgiving that year. In each case, the Sunday return day set the number for the following November to beat.
Planning Around the Peaks
The pattern holds lessons for anyone booking flights for the 2026 holiday. Across 2025, an AAA Northeast analysis of TSA data found Sunday was the busiest day of the week and Tuesday the slowest. During Thanksgiving week, travelers who can return on Saturday, November 28, rather than Sunday, avoided roughly 438,000 fellow passengers at checkpoints based on 2025 volumes. Departing on Thanksgiving Day or returning on the Friday after puts travelers on the lightest days of the window.
Those who must travel on Sunday, November 29, or Monday, November 30, should plan for heavy checkpoint volumes and allow extra time at large hub airports.
Official 2026 Forecasts Are Still to Come
AAA, TSA, and the FAA typically publish their Thanksgiving outlooks in mid to late November, and their 2026 forecasts have not yet been released. For context, AAA projected 81.8 million people traveling at least 50 miles from home between November 25 and December 1, 2025. TSA expected to screen more than 17.8 million people from November 25 to December 2, and the FAA projected more than 360,000 flights in the nine-day period ending December 2.
FAQs
What Is the Busiest Travel Day of Thanksgiving Week?
The Sunday after Thanksgiving has been the heaviest day at U.S. airports, setting TSA’s all-time record of 3,133,924 travelers on November 30, 2025. In 2026, that Sunday is November 29.
Is the Wednesday Before Thanksgiving the Busiest Day to Fly?
No. TSA screened 2,753,036 people on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 2025, fewer than on the Friday before, the Monday after, and the Sunday after.
What Is the Least Busy Day to Fly Over Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving Day itself. TSA screened 1,559,165 people on Thanksgiving Day 2025, the lowest total of the year. The Friday after Thanksgiving was the next-lightest day of the holiday window.
When Is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26. The holiday travel window generally runs from the Friday before, November 20, through the Monday after, November 30.
