The Holiday Travel Crush Has Begun. Are the Airlines Up to It?

Thanksgiving will be the biggest test of the system’s resilience since the pandemic began, with millions more passengers than last year.

Widespread flight cancellations. Excruciating waits for customer service. Unruly passengers.

And that was all before the holiday travel season.

Even in normal times, the days around Thanksgiving are a delicate period for the airlines. But this week is the industry’s biggest test since the pandemic began, as millions more Americans — emboldened by vaccinations and reluctant to spend another holiday alone — are expected to take to the skies than during last year’s holidays.