With one of the busiest travel periods in the United States only weeks away, a travel expert has shared a simple strategy for making Thanksgiving travel less stressful.
An estimated 82 million Americans traveled during the Thanksgiving holiday last year. While official forecasts for 2026 have not yet been released, major carriers and rail operators, including American Airlines and Amtrak, are preparing for another exceptionally busy week.
American Airlines expects to carry eight million passengers on 85,000 flights between November 19 and December 1, according to a press release. That represents a four percent increase from 2025 and amounts to roughly one takeoff every 13 seconds, the airline said.
The carrier will operate 7,021 flights on Sunday, November 29, which is expected to be its busiest day since the pandemic.
Amtrak also urged passengers to reserve tickets early in November after serving a record 1.2 million customers in 2025, a six percent increase over the previous year.
‘Amtrak predicts another year of record ridership this holiday season,’ the company said in a statement.
More travelers typically mean more competition for overhead-bin space, crowded terminals and an even more exhausting journey to the family dinner table.
Christopher Elliott, a travel and consumer expert who runs the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy, believes one of the easiest ways to avoid the chaos is to skip the rush and board the plane at the very end.
Millions of Americans are preparing to travel for Thanksgiving. One expert recommends waiting until the end to board in order to avoid some of the stress. Pictured: JFK Airport
Except for passengers who need overhead-bin space, travelers carrying only a personal item can avoid much of the boarding scramble by waiting until the last moment. Pictured: JFK Airport
The strategy is particularly useful for passengers traveling light, with a carry-on small enough to slide beneath the seat in front of them.
Travelers with larger bags can try it as well, Elliott said, provided they are willing to risk having the bag checked at the gate if the overhead bins are full.
‘It works best if you have a small carry-on, because there’s always room for that under your seat,’ Elliott told Our News Outlet.
‘But if you have a checked bag, it’s fine, too – you can be the last person off the plane and then arrive at the luggage carousel when your checked bag does.’
Elliott recently tested the approach on a flight from Dallas to Spokane, choosing to board second-to-last.
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‘I enjoyed the extra few minutes to stretch my legs before going into the human trash compactor,’ he told Our News Outlet.
He said a ‘growing number of experienced air travelers have walked away from the whole performance. They board last. They deplane last. And they’re having a better time than anyone else on the plane,’ he wrote on his blog, The Elliott Report.
Whether passengers board first or last, Elliott noted, they will still spend hours in the same metal cabin. Since seats are assigned in advance, boarding early offers little advantage beyond securing space in the overhead bins.
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‘It works best if you have a small carry-on, because there’s always room for that under your seat,’ Elliott told Our News Outlet (Source: Facebook/Christopher Elliott)
‘Refusing to be part of the stampede during boarding and disembarking can make a world of difference – to your sanity,’ he wrote.
Elliott said passengers do not have to rush to the gate simply because their boarding group has been called. Unless they are in danger of missing final boarding, there is no requirement to get on the plane immediately, he said.
He also cautioned that overhead-bin space could be harder to find this year, particularly after several airlines increased the cost of checking luggage.
As more passengers try to avoid those fees, they are likely to pack their bags into the cabin and compete for limited overhead space.
The higher baggage costs were introduced amid elevated fuel prices, which have also contributed to rising airfares.
Travel company Hopper found that Thanksgiving airfare is at its highest level in a decade, with domestic round-trip tickets up 39 percent.
Even so, the company reported that airlines have scheduled 2.2 percent more flights.
Our News Outlet has contacted Elliott for comment.
