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American Airlines is ready to get customers to the Thanksgiving table
following government shutdown-related flight disruptions for the industry.
FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines looks forward to delivering a reliable
Thanksgiving operation this year as it moves past the industrywide flight
disruptions caused by the government shutdown. Despite this disruption, the
airline has continued to deliver for its customers and has staged a strong
recovery.
“The Thanksgiving holiday period is one of the most condensed and most
important for our customers — the stakes are high, and the American team is
ready to deliver,” said David Seymour, American’s Chief Operating Officer.
“Customers making last-minute holiday plans — and those who booked months ago
— can rest assured that our operation will run smoothly and safely. In the
spirit of giving thanks: We’re thankful for everyone who worked hard to get us
through several difficult weeks, especially our team members and federal
aviation workers.”
American’s operation stood out, delivering industry-leading on-time departure
and arrival performance among the three major network carriers from Sunday,
Nov. 9 through Saturday, Nov. 15. With the termination of the FAA's flight
reduction order, customers can expect all flights to operate as scheduled. The
airline fully expects this resilient streak of strong operational performance
to continue into its Thanksgiving travel period. The airline and its regional
partners will operate nearly 81,000 flights during this period, which runs
from Nov. 20 through Dec. 2.
“As American approaches the busy holiday season, our operation is delivering
an on-time and reliable operation,” said Heather Garboden, American’s Chief
Customer Officer. “Our customers can count on American to get them to the
Thanksgiving table, giving them the certainty they deserve in their travel
plans this holiday.”
American’s 2025 Thanksgiving operation
A larger schedule: American and its regional partners will operate
80,759 scheduled flights this
Thanksgiving travel period, larger than 2024 and the biggest schedule of any
airline worldwide.
Peak travel days: Sunday,
Nov. 30, will be the most
traveled day, followed by Monday, Dec. 1.
Extra capacity: Special late-night flights have been added at
Phoenix (PHX) and Chicago (ORD) on Nov. 30 to help
customers return from the holiday.
Keeping bags moving: American expects to handle nearly
5.6 million checked bags during
the holiday period, continuing its record-breaking baggage handling
performance.
Peak operations: At 11:10 a.m. CT on Dec. 1,
1,077 mainline and regional
aircraft will be enroute, the highest number during the travel period.
Fun fact: The Boeing 777-300ER, American’s largest aircraft, has a maximum
takeoff weight of 775,000 lbs., equal to about
52,000 15-lb turkeys.