The Best Days To Fly For Thanksgiving To Avoid Airport Crowds

If you’ve ever traveled anywhere for Thanksgiving, you know that it can be absolute madness. In 2025, AAA projected that over 81 million people would travel at least 50 miles for the Thanksgiving long weekend, a figure that broke records and is expected to be even higher in 2026. Although a whopping 73 million traveled by car, 6 million people relied on air travel for their Thanksgiving plans. With so many people hopping flights to down turkey with family and friends, if you want to make Thanksgiving travel a breezeknowing the best days to fly for Thanksgiving helps you avoid airport crowds.

While Thanksgiving Day remains the quietest day to fly to your destination — 1.5 million passed through airports that day in 2025, which was half the amount of people who did so on the Sunday after the holiday — there are a few other days to also consider. When it comes to pre-holiday travel, the least busy day at the airport is the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Other quiet alternatives are the Monday and Thursday before the holiday. After you’ve stuffed yourself silly, lounged more than you’re willing to admit to, and are heading home, the best post-Thanksgiving days to travel, ranked least to most crowded, are the Wednesday after, Tuesday after, and Black Friday.

If you’re bringing leftovers with you, make sure you’re aware of what Thanksgiving foods you can take on your flight. While most foods are a-okay, you’ll need to leave the gravy and sauces behind. Unless, of course, you can keep these liquids under 3.4 ounces, which might be difficult — there’s no such thing as too much homemade gravy.

Read more: The Unfortunate Three-Letter Code You Never Want To Find On Your Boarding Pass

Other things to consider when traveling for Thanksgiving

To book the dates that are going to be the least crowded at the airports, you definitely want to plan ahead. For example, the best time to book flights for your Thanksgiving travels is between September and early October. According to Google Flights, you can find the best fares if you book between 36 and 74 days prior to your travel date. It’s also worth noting that if you choose a flight that leaves on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, the price is likely to be about 12% cheaper than if you depart on a weekend.

When booking your flights, don’t only take into consideration the best days to travel, but the worst days too: the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday. According to the TSAon Sunday, November 30, 2025, 3.1 million passengers passed through airports across the country. Not only is that a record-breaking amount, but the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the most expensive option. Hopper’s 2024 Holiday Travel Outlook found that flights on that Sunday were 45% more than average domestic flights. This year, however, due to the elevated cost of fuel, Hopper’s found that round-trip domestic flights for Thanksgiving are up 31% from last year, with flights that have that Sunday return date costing as much as $604 a ticket.

Traveling for Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a hassle. As long as you’re aware of the best and worst days, and are flexible with your dates, you can avoid much of the mayhem. Then your only concern is how many leftovers you can stuff in your carry-on.

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Read the original article on Explore.