Thanksgiving weekend was the busiest ever for the US travel industry, and things went shockingly smoothly

The busiest ever day for air travel was Sunday as the TSA screened 2.9 million people. American canceled fewer flights than any other Thanksgiving.

• The TSA said it screened 2.9 million people on Sunday — the busiest ever day for air travel.
• Over 900 flights were delayed but just three canceled as snow fell at Chicago O'Hare.
• And American Airlines said it canceled fewer flights than any other Thanksgiving period in its history.

Thanksgiving travel broke records in the aviation sector, with the Transportation Security Administration screening more than 2.9 million people on Sunday.

The TSA said it was a new agency record for the busiest ever day for air travel. The previous record, set in June this year, was 2.88 million.

Before the Thanksgiving period started, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said: "In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA's history."

The TSA's other three busiest travel days were all in 2019. And while last year's Thanksgiving travel numbers still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels, it now looks like the industry has officially recovered.

Records were set despite 1.8 inches of snow falling at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Sunday, per local station WWTV. More than 900 flights were delayed at the major travel hub, but just three were canceled, per data from FlightAware.

Airlines saw new highs for Thanksgiving travel as well.

American Airlines said it had nearly 6.5 million customers — a record for the holiday period. Between November 16 and 26, it said it had canceled just 55 of its 59,400 scheduled flights, around 0.09% and fewer cancellations than any other Thanksgiving period in its history.

United Airlines also said it reached record highs ahead of Thanksgiving, from November 17 to 23, with 3.2 million travelers, per ABC News.

And Delta Air Lines said it canceled just seven out of over 39,000 flights between November 17 and 26.