Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said air travel is expected to surge Thursday ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Buttigieg said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that an estimated 46,288 flights are expected on Thursday.
That number is expected to decrease slightly on Friday to 45,324 flights, decrease further on Saturday and Sunday, and increase to an estimated 42,269 flights on Monday and 42,698 flights on Tuesday.
“We are waiting for today [Thursday] “The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend will be the busiest day for air travel,” Buttigieg said. “Please take your time to review passenger protection information at flightrights.gov.”
website flightlights.gov lays out a customer service dashboard that includes various airline initiatives for families with young children and customers experiencing significant flight disruptions.
The surge in travelers comes amid the possibility of extreme weather across parts of the United States in the coming days. A blizzard is forecast for the Midwest, with heavy snowfall expected in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Approximately 6 to 12 inches of snow is expected for areas from eastern Nebraska to mid-Michigan. according to to the National Weather Service (NWS). Northern Lower Michigan could see more than a foot of snow, the NWS said.
Meanwhile, the risk of severe storms is increasing in parts of Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, the NWS said. Tornadoes could also form in parts of the Deep South and Southeast, causing damage from gusty winds and rain, although not as strong as the storms that hit the region earlier this week.
As of 12:10 p.m. Thursday, nearly 12,000 flights, or about 11,943 flights, had been delayed in addition to 994 cancellations. According to FlightAware.com. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state had the most canceled outbound flights, with 52, and 49 inbound flights, according to FlightAware.
Seattle NWS I said there Deep freeze conditions are expected late Thursday into Friday morning as temperatures rapidly drop. Cold weather can affect road driving as wet roads freeze quickly.
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