Thanksgiving travel: More than 1,000 flights delayed amid weather warnings

There’s about to be major Thanksgiving travel chaos as more severe storms hit the Plains and Midwest before Thursday.

With more than 2.6 million Americans preparing to board their flights today, about 1,000 flights have already been cancelled.

Planes, trains and cars in the eastern half of the United States are likely to be slowed by thunder, rain, sleet, snow and possible tornadoes on the North Carolina coast, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

More than 27 million people from Mississippi to Virginia are at risk from severe storms moving east, meaning the threat looms over states like New York and Washington.

This could cause travel headaches for a record 55.4 million Americans who AAA expects will travel at least 50 miles from their residences between Wednesday and Sunday.

The busiest flying days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday after the national holiday. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, 2.7 million on Wednesday, and the largest 2.9 million on Sunday.

In a public appeal post on X (formerly Twitter), FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker urged travelers to “be nice to flight crews” who are “working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destinations safely.”

He then warned: “The FAA has zero tolerance for unruly behavior.”

In a press conference on Monday, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that over the past year, the government has made an effort to better prepare for holiday travel.

He claimed steps had been taken, including increasing the number of air traffic controllers working, establishing additional air routes along the East Coast, and giving airports funding for snow plows and de-icing supplies.

However, passengers are advised to check flight timings and road conditions before departure. “Mother Nature is the X factor in all of this, of course,” he said.