Thanksgiving Set to Be a Massive Travel Period in the U.S.

14.11.2023 - 12:05 / skift.com / Rashaad Jorden

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, November 14. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Americans are gearing up to travel in large numbers for the Thanksgiving holiday next week. This Thanksgiving could be the busiest for the U.S. air travel for 18 years, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

Travel organization AAA says that more than 4.7 million Americans will fly for Thanksgiving, the highest number since 2005. AAA also found flight bookings on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving appear higher than normal. That’s possibly because Americans working remotely can take advantage of cheaper airfares on off-peak days.

Habtemariam notes both American Airlines and United forecast this Thanksgiving will be their busiest ever. United will fly nearly 4,000 flights daily on average during the holiday period. 

Next, Emirates Airlines has reached a deal with Boeing to order $52 billion of aircraft, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder. 

Emirates ordered 90 jets from Boeing as part of the megadeal, which was announced on day one of the Dubai Air Show. The deal brings Emirates’ total orders to 295 aircraft. In all, more than 200 new aircraft orders were placed on the first day of the airshow. 

Emirates is set to receive new Boeing 777 aircraft that take flights up to 18 hours, enabling the airline to establish direct connections between Dubai and cities on six continents. 

Finally, GetYourGuide has made waves in the tours and activities sector. And its Chief Financial Officer Nils Chrestin believes there’s an opportunity for somebody to build a hundred billion company in the sector, writes Travel Experiences Reporter Selene Brophy. 

Brophy reports that GetYourGuide is one of the dominant online travel marketplaces for experiences. Chrestin said in an interview with Skift that GetYourGuide has seen considerable growth over the last year and a half. However, he said the company has no immediate plans to go public. 

Meanwhile, in addition to being the clear market leader in Europe, Chrestin said GetYourGuide has seen business boom in the U.S. and North America in general.