Thanksgiving tips

Like millions of other Americans, I grew up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV at home in Montana.

I woke up at 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving with one goal: Get to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as early as possible — and get out just as quickly.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, November 21. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

U.S. authorities are taking a number of measures to ensure smooth flights for the record number of people set to take the skies this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner — and with it, traffic and travel woes galore.

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

Americans can expect busy roads and airports when they visit family and friends this Thanksgiving holiday.

The world’s biggest airline is ready for Thanksgiving, having already battled through several hurricanes in recent months.

The inaugural Skift Aviation Forum welcomed Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, as its first speaker at the Statler Hotel in downtown Dallas. During the interview he shared how the world’s biggest airline was prepared for the upcoming Thanksgiving vacation, and already looking ahead to the future with a focus on recruiting and training pilots, and staffing the carrier back up.

U.S. airlines and airports are preparing for a surge in passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the number of travelers expected to hit the highest level in three years.

This is shaping up to be a record year, and the travel forecast for Thanksgiving 2016 is showing higher numbers than in the past nine years. AAA forecasts that there will be 48.7 million people in transit this year, an increase of one million compared to last year.

Airport horror stories are as much a staple of Thanksgiving dinner as turkey and stuffing. With the whole country rushing home for the holidays, airports—especially the major airports—are at their busiest. Is your home airport on the list of worst airports for Thanksgiving flights? It’s not too late to consider an alternative.

There was considerable hand-wringing in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday that travelers would be facing something just this side of hell on earth. Packed planes. Overflowing overhead bins. Overcrowded gate areas. Endless check-in lines. And even longer lines to clear security checkpoints.

Fall must be around the corner because every week seems to bring a fresh Thanksgiving travel forecast.

Are you one of the expected 48.5 million Americans who will drive 50 miles or more over Thanksgiving 2018? You could face up to four times the normal driving times at peak hours, AAA warns. Drivers in or out of Boston, New York City, and San Francisco will face the worst congestion, and most other big cities will also see delays.

When do you find the lowest fares for Thanksgiving and December holiday travel? Right now, says the latest data from Hipmunk, derived from analysis of historical buying patterns. Specifically, you can find the lowest fares for both Thanksgiving flights and the winter holidays during the first week of September. But don’t give up if you miss that week:

If you mostly fly, it’s easy to forget that many Americans travel by rail for the holidays. But as someone who regularly relies on Thanksgiving train travel between Boston and New York, let me assure you: A lot of people take the train for the holidays, so you should plan ahead.

They say misery loves company, right? There will be plenty of company, at least, on the nation’s highways (and airways) this week, as an estimated 55 million travelers embark on Thanksgiving travel.

It might be too late to do anything other than just arrive as early as possible—but when it comes to fast-approaching Thanksgiving travel, try to avoid flying through Chicago (O’Hare), Atlanta, and San Francisco’s airports.

Financial site WalletHub analyzed safety data for all 50 states to determine a list of the safest states for Thanksgiving travel this year. The survey is based on COVID-19 data as well as other general safety factors (like crime rates and DUI statistics for November).