Holiday travel
Thanksgiving TSA Wait Times
TSA THROUGHPUT · NOV 23, 2025 TO DEC 1, 2025
At Thanksgiving 2025, security at the 30 busiest US airports was busiest on the Sunday after, Nov 30, 2025 (1,857,227 people screened), and quietest on Thanksgiving Day itself (957,050), based on TSA checkpoint counts.
These are TSA's own checkpoint counts for Nov 23, 2025 to Dec 1, 2025, the most recent Thanksgiving. They are people screened, not minutes in line. Holiday weeks are kept out of the typical levels on the airport pages and reported here instead.
Busiest days to fly at Thanksgiving 2025
| Day | People screened | vs busiest day |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Nov 23 | 1,581,846 | -15% |
| Mon Nov 24 | 1,535,929 | -17% |
| Tue Nov 25 | 1,582,595 | -15% |
| Wed Nov 26 | 1,636,988 | -12% |
| Thu Nov 27 (Thanksgiving) | 957,050 | -48% |
| Fri Nov 28 | 1,411,884 | -24% |
| Sat Nov 29 | 1,579,363 | -15% |
| Sun Nov 30 | 1,857,227 | 0% |
| Mon Dec 1 | 1,702,034 | -8% |
Thanksgiving security lines by airport
People screened on the three key days of Thanksgiving 2025, compared with a typical day in the 8 weeks to Nov 7, 2026. The two periods are a year apart, so part of any difference is growth or decline at that airport.
| Airport | Typical day | Wed before | Thanksgiving | Sun after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 65,651 | +16% | -47% | +31% |
| ATL Atlanta | 85,699 | +6% | -35% | +23% |
| DFW Dallas Fort Worth | 72,710 | +5% | -45% | +21% |
| SEA Seattle | 54,714 | +16% | -38% | +24% |
| MCO Orlando | 69,617 | +11% | -24% | +37% |
| JFK New York JFK | 84,563 | +17% | -16% | +21% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 37,346 | +24% | -41% | +34% |
| EWR Newark | 65,120 | +26% | -23% | +27% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 92,534 | +13% | -23% | +25% |
| CLT Charlotte | 32,655 | +16% | -59% | +29% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 38,411 | +6% | -48% | +20% |
| PHX Phoenix | 56,332 | +24% | -32% | +36% |
| SFO San Francisco | 71,055 | +5% | -29% | +14% |
| ORD Chicago O'Hare | 92,793 | -1% | -39% | +18% |
| LGA LaGuardia | 48,610 | +20% | -35% | +25% |
| DCA Reagan National | 32,951 | +17% | -47% | +25% |
| BNA Nashville | 33,968 | -7% | -57% | +12% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 68,868 | -5% | -37% | +18% |
| BWI Baltimore | 24,929 | +26% | -36% | +40% |
| SAN San Diego | 37,711 | +10% | -45% | +24% |
| AUS Austin | 31,354 | +4% | -44% | +19% |
| PDX Portland | 24,580 | +13% | -46% | +22% |
| IAH Houston | 49,177 | +14% | -24% | +36% |
| MIA Miami | 60,099 | +17% | -13% | +46% |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 14,944 | +7% | -52% | +38% |
| DTW Detroit | 35,505 | +18% | -36% | +35% |
| MSY New Orleans | 17,696 | -6% | -49% | +37% |
| CVG Cincinnati | 13,921 | -1% | -50% | +26% |
| IAD Dulles | 31,224 | +10% | -29% | +29% |
| RDU Raleigh-Durham | 24,383 | +19% | -40% | +38% |
Planning for Thanksgiving 2026
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, Nov 26, 2026. Going by 2025, the heaviest day at security will be Sunday, Nov 29, 2026, followed by Monday, Nov 30, 2026, and the Wednesday before, Nov 25, 2026. Thanksgiving Day itself is the lightest day of the holiday.
For your own flight, check the hour on the airport page and use the arrival calculator, then add time: the typical levels do not include holiday weeks. For the next holiday, see Christmas travel.
Thanksgiving airport security: questions
What is the busiest day to fly at Thanksgiving?
The Sunday after Thanksgiving. In 2025 the 30 airports screened 1,857,227 people on Sun Nov 30, 13% more than on the Wednesday before (1,636,988).
Is Thanksgiving Day a good day to fly?
Yes. It was the quietest day of the holiday in 2025: 957,050 people screened at the 30 airports on Thu Nov 27, 48% fewer than on the Sunday after.
Is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving the busiest day?
It is the busiest day of the outbound trip, but not of the holiday. In 2025 it saw 1,636,988 people at the 30 airports, against 1,857,227 on the Sunday after.
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday, Nov 26, 2026. Expect the heaviest security lines on Sunday, Nov 29, 2026, and the Wednesday before, Nov 25, 2026.
Which airports get busiest after Thanksgiving?
On the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2025, against a typical day in fall 2026, the biggest rises were MIA (+46%), BWI (+40%), PIT (+38%), RDU (+38%).