Above: Dan Plante’s Nov. 27 report for KUSI on the holiday travel rush.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Dozens of flights are delayed on Thanksgiving at San Diego International Airport as inclement weather causes headaches for travelers across the country.
As of noon Thursday, 103 delays were reported both in and out of San Diego, with zero cancellations, according to airline tracker FlightAware. Nearly 60 of these are for flights scheduled to land in or depart San Diego in the afternoon, per the airport’s flight tracker.
The average delay for passengers is estimated to be about 36 minutes and is increasing, FlightAware adds.
It comes after a rough day for airline passengers during the busy travel season ahead of Thursday’s holiday, when more than 300 of San Diego’s scheduled flights reported delays. Six flights were also cancelled on Wednesday, FlightAware says.
Nationwide, thousands of flights had seen some level of interruption since the start of the peak holiday travel season on Tuesday, caused in part by heavy rain and snow falling in some parts of the country.
A spokesperson for FlightAware told the Associated Press the delays seen over the last few days are not totally abnormal for the holiday travel season. Although it can still be frustrating, especially when this year is anticipated to shape up as one of the “busiest ever” for travel.
About 5.84 million people were anticipated to travel by air for Thanksgiving this year, AAA forecasted — a roughly 2.1% increase from 2023 and 10.7% boost from pre-pandemic levels.
In San Diego, the regional airport authority was expecting about 460,000 passengers between the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and Monday after.
San Diego airport officials urge people who are traveling by plane through the rest of the peak travel period for the Thanksgiving holiday to check their flight’s status before arriving — whether it is with the airline or using their flight tracker.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
