As the Thanksgiving Parade is just one week out and holiday window displays are being unveiled within the next few days, we’re all gearing up for the holiday madness that’s about to ensue. And as some stay in the lovely city of New York all season long, many will be leaving to visit family all over the world. So as a heads up, we’re letting you know that 2023 is expected to be the busiest travel season on record!
“We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season. We will also do our best to maintain wait time standards of under 10 minutes for TSA PreCheck® lanes and under 30 minutes for standard screening lanes.”
The prediction comes after TSA recorded seven of the 10 highest volume travel days in history this year alone. TSA expects heavy traffic beginning during the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period (Friday, November 17th – Tuesday, November 28th), with Sunday, November 26th likely being the busiest travel day with a projected 2.9 million passengers nationwide.
Moreover, there are currently more than 17.6 million passengers enrolled in TSA PreCheck®. To clarify, there were only 3.9 million people enrolled at this time last year.
TSA has outlined 10 tips if you plan on traveling this holiday season:
- Pack smart; start with empty bags
- Bring an acceptable ID and have it out in the screening lane
- Arrive early
- If you plan to travel with a firearm, you must properly pack the firearm in a hard-sided, locked case in your checked bag and declare it with the airline at the ticket counter when checking in
- If you plan to travel with a firearm, you must properly pack the firearm in a hard-sided, locked case in your checked bag and declare it with the airline at the ticket counter when checking in
- Travel with ease with TSA PreCheck and ensure you have the TSA PreCheck mark on your boarding pass
- Call ahead to request passenger support
- Text or direct message us @ AskTSA
- Remain aware
- Show gratitude to frontline workers
Still don’t have Thanksgiving plans? Find out all the best things to do in NYC this Thanksgiving here.