Will my Thanksgiving flight be delayed out of Wichita? What to expect when flying
While most holiday travelers will drive to get to their destination, it is also shaping up to be a busy week for airports, including Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.
Shawn Steward, AAA’s manager of public and government affairs for the Kansas region, told The Eagle travelers should be prepared for a busier travel season, on the road and in the air.
“We are still expecting a very strong travel season for air travelers, as well,” Steward said.
The holiday travel rush comes after many U.S. airports saw increased delays in recent weeks due to the government shutdown, which ended Nov. 13.
“There obviously were some concerns there for a while with the [Federal Aviation Commission] scaling back the number of flights, but they seem to be getting back up to normal, and hopefully by Thanksgiving week, the capacity will be up to normal levels,” Steward said.
AAA’s official projections for this year estimate almost 880,000 Kansans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 27, up 1.8% from projections last year. While more than 790,000 of those will be driving to their destination, 41,600 are expected to use air travel.
Earlier this month, the FAA announced it would scale back scheduled flights by 10% at 40 major airports due to staffing shortages. While Wichita was not one of the facilities that reduced flights, many of the airports that did have direct service to Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA have since canceled the emergency orders, but are maintaining a 6% flight reduction in response to the nationwide air controller shortage.
A news release from Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport says officials expect the busiest travel days to be Tuesday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 30.
The airport is expecting 3,694 passengers Tuesday and 4,093 passengers Sunday. The week could see more than 30,000 passengers at Eisenhower, with the least busy day being Thanksgiving at an expected 2,109 passengers.
“Throughout the flight reduction period, ICT has experienced only minimal impacts to cancellations and delays, helping keep travel plans running smoothly,” the airport said in the Nov. 14 release.
AAA’s national projections show around 81 million Americans could travel for Thanksgiving this year, with 6 million expected to fly. Another 73.3 million could be behind the wheel to get to their holiday destination.
“Thanksgiving is actually the single busiest holiday for travel,” Steward said.
Tips to travel safely this holiday
The government shutdown ending doesn’t mean your flights are guaranteed to leave on time. Delays and cancellations could happen for a number of reasons, so it’s best to be prepared in case.
Here are some tips for air travelers this year to have the best experience, from Eisenhower’s website:
- Arrive at the airport at least an hour and a half before scheduled departure.
- Make sure your bags aren’t overweight prior to arriving at the airport.
- Refresh yourself with carry-on item rules.
- Make parking plans ahead of time.
- If you’re traveling with children, bring items to entertain.
- Be patient.
You can also stay up to date with cancellations and delays on the airport’s arrival and departures page.
If you’re planning on driving to your destination this holiday, it’s important to make sure your car is properly serviced, Steward said.
“Two of the biggest issues we see problems with are dead batteries and flat tires, so pay special attention to those,” he said.
You should also be prepared for traffic. Make sure to follow the speed limit, minimize distractions and be extra alert when on the roads.
