by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:35 AM ET, Sat November 22, 2025
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is expecting to screen over 17.8 million people across the Thanksgiving holiday, from November 25 to December 2.
It’s predicted to screen over three million air travelers on Sunday, November 30th alone.
“We are projecting that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest travel days in TSA history…” said Adam Stahl, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy TSA Administrator. “We are extremely grateful for the tireless work of our TSA Officers, who showed up every day to ensure Americans can travel freely and safely despite the hardships imposed on them by the shutdown.”
The new data aligns with AAA’s recent Thanksgiving report, which predicts just under 82 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from their homes this Thanksgiving. Yet AAA’s prediction estimates that just about six million travelers are going to fly domestically this holiday season, well under TSA’s prediction of overall travelers.
TSA encourages travelers to bring their REAL ID, passport or other form identification with them when they fly, and to pack according to TSA regulations. Those who want to bypass wait times at security checkpoints can enroll in TSA PreCheck.
Eight of the highest volume travel days in TSA’s history have occurred in 2025 so far, with a daily volume of screened passengers increasing this year to 2.48 million a day. Compared to last year, TSA is screening about 14,000 more passengers each day.
Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released a civility campaign video encouraging air travelers to reduce the number of unruly passenger incidents by being nice, though it sparked complaints online by viewers for Duffy’s focus on how air travelers should dress.
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