There was a time not all that long ago when airlines just got on with their job and did not need to reassure the public that they could cope with busy times. Perhaps the shambolic post-COVID restart changed that, but now it seems most airlines want to reassure us first and (hopefully) deliver second and sometimes tell us how well they did third.

American is ready for the holidays

American Airlines has let the world know it is going to have a very busy Thanksgiving holiday period, but passengers can rest assured that the airline is ready to handle the more than 8.3 million passengers it will carry over the period. To prove the point, American pointed to a successful October when it canceled the fewest flights in the industry, with Chief Operating Officer David Seymour adding:

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals. When you purchase a ticket on American, you’re trusting us to provide a safe and reliable journey. We are ready to continue delivering on that promise this Thanksgiving.”

Some quick facts about American’s Thanksgiving operation

American’s Thanksgiving travel period runs from November 21 to December 3, when it expects to carry nearly 8.3 million passengers, more than 500,000 more than last year.

• Sunday, December 1, will be the most traveled day, with Monday, December 2, the second busiest day for American.
• In the travel period, 1,500 mainline and regional aircraft will travel nearly 65 million miles – the equivalent of more than 2,500 times around the earth.
• The peak of the peak will be at 10:45 CT on Sunday December 1, when 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be en route, the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.
• American expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies onboard during the holidays. A line of those cookies would stretch nearly the distance of a flight from New York (JFK/LGA) to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT).

Related

American Airlines Adds Boarding Technology At 100+ US Airports

American Airlines is rolling out its new boarding technology after successful trials at three US airports.

Reinforcing its preparedness, American added that Thanksgiving comes after its best-ever October for on-time departures, on-time arrivals and baggage handling performance. In October, there were nine days when American did not cancel a single mainline flight and ten when it did not cancel a single regional flight.

Travel Tuesday is taken care of at American

With Travel Tuesday falling on December 3 this year, on Thursday, American Airlines said it is gearing up to fulfill customers’ travel desires for 2025. The airline said its comprehensive global network gives customers more ways to travel the way they want to, whether to visit friends and family or head on a new adventure.

 Photo: Nate Hovee | Shutterstock

Caroline Clayton, American’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, said that Travel Tuesday has grown in popularity, and American is happy to provide customers with more ways to celebrate the holidays by unlocking new escapes in the new year.

The airline is encouraging non-members to join (for free) its AAdvantage loyalty program and be among the first to know about great deals on flights and miles. To sweeten the deal, between November 29 and December 2, the airline is offering members savings of up to 50% when purchasing AAdvantage miles.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

American has launched 50 new routes this year and has 20 planned for 2025, opening up even more opportunities for customers to plan exciting holidays on Travel Tuesday. To build some excitement, American has curated a selection of new routes from its hubs and gateways to help travelers connect with their next big adventure.

• Unlock new escapes: Brisbane, Australia (BNE) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI) to Philadelphia (PHL), Ocho Rios, Jamaica (OCJ) to Miami (MIA).
• Explore the great outdoors: Appleton, Wisconsin to Phoenix (PHX), Boise, Idaho (BOI) to Chicago (ORD), Bozeman, Montana (BZN) to Charlotte (CLT).
• Familiar favorites: Barcelona, Spain (BCN) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Milan, Italy (MXP) to Philadelphia (PHL), Tokyo, Japan (HND) to New York (JFK).

Photo: Brisbane Airport

American also said that, according to a recent report by McKinsey, consumer interest in Travel Tuesday had grown fivefold in the past few years, with bookings for air travel leading the way.