Atlanta airport security waits could be worst these Thanksgiving travel days
If this year’s Thanksgiving air travel is anything like last year’s, the weekend after the holiday will see busy security days at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
According to an analysis of historic Transportation Security Administration data by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year — Dec. 1, 2024 — saw the most passengers pass through security.
The Saturday and Monday after the holiday also saw high daily total volumes.
But the busiest single hour of last year’s Thanksgiving period? Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on the Wednesday before the holiday — Nov. 27, 2024.
This year, TSA is projecting once again that Sunday, Nov. 30, will be the busiest Atlanta security day of the holiday with nearly 104,000 passengers, a spokesperson told the AJC.
Monday, Dec. 1, and Wednesday, Nov. 26, security volumes are set to follow as second and third highest, respectively.
This data does not show security wait estimates.
Real-time security wait time estimates are available via the airport, which travelers are advised to check.
Airport General Manager Ricky Smith told reporters last week this period is the “Super Bowl for the airport,” and that the team has been preparing all year.
Hartsfield-Jackson is anticipating about 4 million travelers to pass through the airport during that time.
Monday, Dec. 2 is expected to see the most scheduled flights during the holiday period.
Since Atlanta has such high volumes of connecting traffic, the day with the most scheduled flights might not coincide with the busiest days at Atlanta airport security checkpoints.
About 375,000 travelers are expected to pass through the airport Monday, which is lower than last year, Smith said. He attributed that decrease to travelers remaining leery of air travel because of the government shutdown and choosing instead to travel by car.
“I hate to say it will be stress-free, because I don’t know if there’s such thing as a stress-free experience to an airport,” Smith said.
“Hopefully it will be stressless because of all of the things we’re doing with our airport partners.”
— Staff writer Savannah Sicurella contributed reporting.
About the Authors
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
