Winter Weather Disrupts Post-Thanksgiving Holiday Travel

Image: Southwest Airlines taxi on a snowy runway. (Photo Credit: steheap/Adobe)
Image: Southwest Airlines taxi on a snowy runway. (Photo Credit: steheap/Adobe)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 9:30 AM ET, Mon December 2, 2024

Travel conditions across the country are beginning to improve after winter weather and rain prompted thousands of flight delays following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Disruptions were felt from Newark to Seattle, with lake effect snow piling up from the Great Lakes to the Northeast. 

A lengthy power outage added insult to injury for weary travelers at Philadelphia International Airport over the weekend. 


Flight-tracking website FlightAware.com reported more than 4,000 delays within, into or out of the U.S. on Friday. That figure climbed to 6,670 on Saturday before peaking at 6,766 on Sunday, one of the busiest travel days of the year with many Americans returning home from holiday trips.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that it screened a record-breaking 3,087,393 passengers on Sunday, up considerably from 2,171,943 on the Sunday after Thanksgiving a year ago.

As of 9:30 a.m. ET Monday, FlightAware.com is reporting 815 domestic flight delays and 60 cancellations. However, millions are still under winter weather alerts to begin the week so additional travel delays are possible.

Travelers are always encouraged to check their flight status with their respective airlines before arriving at the airport.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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