Thanksgiving Air Travel Set to Reach New Record
Queues are likely to be a reality of this year’s holiday travel, which is expected to see a return of pre-pandemic passenger volumes—a record 6 million by some estimates.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL), the world’s busiest airport, alone is expected to see 4.2 million passengers pass through its facilities in the coming weeks. Add that to significant volumes in other strategic North American hubs like Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP), Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A (EWR), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and you start to understand the incredible scope of this year’s travel season.
Prepared for the surge
According to a recent announcement: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is prepared for the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record and is projected to screen 18.3 million people from Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2, representing a volume increase of approximately 6% from this time in 2023. Passenger volumes have reached record highs in 2024, with an increase of 17% since 2022.
That there will be lines at airports across the US is a given, but the TSA and the airports they work with have implemented a series of improvements in recent years that have made effectively and efficiently processing massive volumes of passengers easier.
Small but consistent improvements in processing time at mission-critical touchpoints such as security have improved overall performance and reduced wait times at many airports. As passenger numbers rebound and travel patterns change, more US airports are using accurate measurements of processes to boost throughput within existing capacity constraints.
These types of measurements have become increasingly important as airports roll out new technology—CT scanners, for example—specifically designed to reduce processing time.
Keeping passengers informed
Using data to improve processes has a behind-the-scenes effect when it comes to reducing wait times, but that same data is being used by more airports to keep passengers informed of the real-time situation at their terminals.
No one likes to wait in line. But passengers are less anxious when they have a good idea of the time it takes to complete a necessary process. Airports are helping to lower miss-my-flight stress by using dynamic signage and announcements to communicate expected wait times and different service options.
At ATL, the recent installation of passenger information totems throughout the queuing area is expected to reduce passenger stress this Thanksgiving and during future travel peaks.
The Xovis connection
If you are traveling through a US airport this season, have a look at the ceiling. In many airports, including ATL, DFW, MSP, and EWR, you are likely to see Xovis sensors.
Anonymized passenger movement data from these sensors are helping these airports, and more than 100 others globally, reduce wait times at security, check-in, immigration/ emigration, and other touchpoints. How? By ensuring managers have the data they need to have the right infrastructure and staffing resources ready when they need them.
This bird’s-eye view of operations is critical during peak travel times but is being used to enhance the passenger experience year-round.
Tags: | airports| AI airports | passenger experience | data quality | terminal operations |
