As much as people complain about the hassle and headaches of flying somewhere for Thanksgiving, they still do it each year. In fact, last year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving broke the existing record for most passengers screened in a single day by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), with more than 2.9 million people—a record that stood until July 7, 2024, when TSA screened more than three million passengers.
With 2024 shaping up to be a big year for air travel, it’s best to plan ahead for the holiday season and, if possible, book flights on days when the airport won’t be quite as hectic. To help us determine when that is, the team at NerdWallet crunched the numbers and identified the best and worst days to fly around Thanksgiving.
The best days to fly for Thanksgiving
Using TSA checkpoint travel numbers from 2021 to 2023 for the two-week period around Thanksgiving—from the Thursday before to the Thursday after the holiday—NerdWallet determined that these are the best days to fly:
Before Thanksgiving
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Best day to fly: Saturday, Nov. 23
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Next best: Monday, Nov. 25
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Another good option: Thursday, Nov. 21
After Thanksgiving
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Best day to fly: Wednesday, Dec. 4
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Next best: Tuesday, Dec. 3
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Another good option: Black Friday, Nov. 29
Thanksgiving Day
If your trip doesn’t center on a dinner taking place on Thursday, Nov. 28, you may want to consider flying on Thanksgiving Day itself, as it’s the day when airports are least crowded.
“That might not be ideal for everyone, but if you can book the first flight out of the day, you’ll benefit for two reasons,” says Sally French, NerdWallet’s travel expert and author of the report. “You’ll experience a relatively light travel day—and likely lower prices—[and] you’ll take solace in knowing that morning flights are less likely to be cancelled than flights later in the day.”
The worst days to fly for Thanksgiving
According to TSA checkpoint data, these are the worst days to fly for Thanksgiving:
Before Thanksgiving
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Worst day to fly: Wednesday, Nov. 27
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Also avoid: Tuesday, Nov. 26
After Thanksgiving
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Worst day to fly: Sunday, Dec. 1
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Also avoid: Saturday, Nov. 30
If there’s one day in particular you should really try to avoid, it’s Sunday, Dec. 1. “The Sunday after Thanksgiving has—in most years—broken records for busiest travel day of the entire year,” French says.
When to book your Thanksgiving flights
According to French, now is the best time to book Thanksgiving flights. “We tend to see the absolute best deals in early October, which is approaching,” she says.
But what about holding out for last-minute deals? That doesn’t apply to Thanksgiving, French says, because so many people are trying to fly in the same short window of time, so you’re competing for flights with everyone else. “You don’t want to wait for a cheaper fare only to find that your ideal flight ends up selling out anyway,” she says.
