This Thanksgiving, Full Planes to Go With Full Plates

‘Tis the season for planning an epic winter getaway and Southwest is helping by offering one-way flights starting at just $39.

A whiff of new plane smell may be part of your next United Airlines onboard welcome. That’s because the Chicago-based carrier is undergoing a massive fleet renewal strategy as part of its “United Next” plan with 800 new aircraft being added between 2023 and the end of 2032.

Thanksgiving Sunday air travel this year shattered all-time Transportation Security Administration (TSA) numbers with a record 2,907,378 passengers screened at U.S. airports. Americans have certainly proven that they’re ready to go all in on holiday travel—and the December holidays are shaping up similarly. With a longer vacation window surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day, travelers are setting out on a wide-ranging set of trending destinations, including a mix of classic urban cities, warm weather getaways, and even transoceanic trips.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is … a great flash sale on flights to Europe. And Icelandic airline Play is doing just that in time for the holiday season.

Regional jets don't always offer the most comfortable onboard experience, but American Airlines has some good news.

Amtrak carried 28.6 million customers on train trips during its latest fiscal year. That number, while an improvement of nearly a quarter from 2022, fell short of its aim to match pre-pandemic ridership of 32.5 million trips.

It’s about to get easier to escape from Salt Lake City to the gorgeous islands of Hawaii thanks to a new flight from Hawaiian Airlines set to launch next year. 

Low-cost carrier Breeze Airways may soon expand beyond the United States with international flights.

Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday may be over, but Delta Air Lines is still rolling out the deals for travelers eager to get away.  The airline recently published a list of “Fly Into A Winter Wonderland” deals on their website, which offers discounts both in cash and using Delta SkyMiles redemptions for flights both within the United States and internationally.  “Redefine the winter blues and take advantage of low seasonal fares to destinations from cozy cities to tropical escapes and alpine adventures,” Delta shares on their website about the sale. Travel + Leisure spotted deals from nearly every one of Delta’s hub cities in the United States. The current promotion offers deals between December 2023 and January 2024. The lowest miles fare was 14,000 miles and $12 for a round-trip flight from Seattle, WA, to San Francisco, CA.  Some of the other top flight deals include:

The top U.S. airlines and airports improved upon their Thanksgiving on-time performance this year compared to 2022.According to the latest analysis from leading global travel data provider OAG, the on-time performance of major U.S. airlines improved by one percentage point over last year's holiday, reaching 85.7 percent.OAG examined the on-time performance of all airports and airlines on Thanksgiving Eve (November 22), which is one of the busiest travel days of the year. In 2023, airlines and airports overcame not only crowds but weather disruptions to improve upon last year.According to OAG, nearly 18,400 flights arrived on time—within 15 minutes of the scheduled time—among the major U.S. carriers on November 22. Two airlines—Delta Air Lines (91.5 percent) and United Airlines (90.5 percent)—even achieved over 90 percent on-time performance across their domestic networks.Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines also saw improvements over last year, with on-time performance rates of 89.4 percent and 89.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Southwest Airlines reported a dip from 88.5 percent in 2022 to 86.9 percent in 2023.American Airlines (84.4 percent), Allegiant Air (84.2 percent), Frontier Airlines (76.2 percent) and Breeze Airways (62.3 percent) all improved upon last year while Sun Country Airlines (84.8 percent), JetBlue (64.8 percent), Spirit Airlines (61.7 percent) and Cape Air (33 percent) all lost ground compared to Thanksgiving Eve 2022.

Frontier Airlines is doubling down on Chicago, with plans to reopen a pilot base that will serve both major airports in the Windy City. 

In August 1944, the coastal Breton city of Saint-Malo was nearly wiped off the map. The opening scene of the Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See conjures the ferocity of the battle: an American squadron traverses the English Channel in darkness, dodges anti-aircraft fire, then releases its bombs on the Nazi-occupied French port.