Airlines expect record travel demand this Thanksgiving. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is expected to be the busiest day during that period with an estimated 2.9 million passengers taking to the skies. And Thanksgiving will be a test to see how the aviation industry handles the year-end holidays while still managing strains like a prolonged shortage of air traffic controllers. Weather readiness is particularly key for Southwest Airlines , which canceled 16,700 flights late last year and in early 2024 following severe winter weather, while other airlines recovered more quickly. Those extra two minutes "just helps that flight and the next flight and the next flight," she said.

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Persons: they're, David Pekoske, Andrew Watterson, Linda Jojo, Jojo Organizations: Delta Airlines, Orlando International Airport, Airlines, Transportation Security Administration, Carriers, Southwest Airlines, Skift Aviation, United Airlines Locations: Orlando , Florida, Dallas, Fort Worth , Texas, enplaning