How are things at PHL right now? Our live tracker is following the Thanksgiving surge.
About 6 million people are expected to fly for Thanksgiving this year, according to AAA. Our tracker shows how PHL is handling the surge and whether travelers are likely to encounter delays.
There’s always some anxiety that comes with heading to the airport. This week, maybe more so.
AAA predicts nearly 82 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving, a U.S. record if it stands. Even with concerns about the reliability of air travel, AAA reports about 6 million people will fly to their destination this week, a glut of humanity that could jam airports nationwide.
Air traffic at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has been running relatively smoothly since the government shutdown ended, Inquirer analysis shows.
But an onslaught of holiday passengers could quickly change that.
Are you headed to PHL? Use our charts below to get a glimpse of how the airport is functioning today. The charts will update every hour through Jan. 1 and reset every morning at 4 a.m.
Nearly half of the flights at PHL were delayed or canceled at PHL during the climax of the federal government shutdown, which lasted until Nov. 12. Analysis shows delays and cancellations have returned to normal levels since, with disruptions generally affecting less than 20% of flights a day.
Fewer than five flights a day have been canceled for the last week at PHL.
In the lead up to the holiday weekend, Frontier Airlines was experiencing the most disruptions. More than 40% of the company’s flights in and out of PHL were delayed or canceled last weekend, analysis of PHL flight board data shows.
PHL offers flights from 15 airlines. The chart below shows what percentage of the most active airlines’ flights are delayed or canceled.
What about my flight?
PHL offers up-to-date information for each flight arriving or departing from its gates on its website. However, airport officials recommend checking with your airline for more specific information.
Security wait times
As of Monday morning, all six security checkpoints at PHL were open. TSA PreCheck is available at Terminals A-East, C and D/E.
Current security wait times are available on PHL’s website.
Weather outlook
Leaving Philly: Rain could slow things down Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Some wind may linger into the weekend, but otherwise flying out of Philadelphia looks fairly unhindered. What’s happening at your destination could, of course, change this.
Coming to Philly: Elsewhere in the country, NWS forecasts show a broad area of low pressure affecting the eastern half of the country with rain Tuesday into Wednesday. Later in the weekend, weather systems could affect the Midwest, Northwest and Rocky Mountains, potentially complicating travel from those locations.