'Stakes are high.' With shutdown over, airlines predict record numbers of travelers this Thanksgiving

A travelers check flight information at LAX as the shutdown passes the one-month mark, leaving essential workers unpaid in Los Angeles, California, on November 5, 2025.U.S. airlines are predicting another record Thanksgiving holiday travel period and are upbeat now that the travel-snarling government shutdown has ended.Airlines will carry more than 31 million people between Friday, Nov. 21, and Monday, Dec. 1, Airlines for America, a lobbying group representing the largest U.S. carriers, predicted Thursday. ...