Things in the Sky

Traditionally, today is held as the big “rush” day for Thanksgiving travel. I just got some interesting data from FlightView, however, that suggests that it isn’t the worst day for delays and cancellations. Obviously, the weather for each year plays a big role, but I still think it’s interesting to look at.

But, I’ll quote pieces of Michael Boyd’s column for this week, which is very important to consider when you see all the news reports about air travel during the weekend:

This year’s real Thanksgiving entertainment will be no different than in past years.

We’re not talking about the Macy’s Parade. We’re referring to the three-ring circus a lot of the media builds every year around the “surge” of humanity cramming itself into airports and onto “jam-packed” airplanes. In one sense, it is like the Macy’s Parade, the one with all the floats. They both involve a lot of hot air.

…

Thanksgiving isn’t like I-95 heading out of New York: there is no crush of flights – it’s essentially the same number of airplanes in the air as any other Thursday.

The other parts of the column are quite good.

Anyway, just food for thought.