American Airlines looks forward to delivering a reliable Thanksgiving operation this year as it moves past the industrywide flight disruptions caused by the government shutdown. Despite this disruption, the airline has continued to deliver for its customers and has staged a strong recovery.

“The Thanksgiving holiday period is one of the most condensed and most important for our customers — the stakes are high, and the American team is ready to deliver,” said David Seymour, American’s Chief Operating Officer. “Customers making last-minute holiday plans — and those who booked months ago — can rest assured that our operation will run smoothly and safely. In the spirit of giving thanks: We’re thankful for everyone who worked hard to get us through several difficult weeks, especially our team members and federal aviation workers.”

American’s operation stood out, delivering industry-leading on-time departure and arrival performance among the three major network carriers from Sunday, Nov. 9 through Saturday, Nov. 15. With the termination of the FAA’s flight reduction order, customers can expect all flights to operate as scheduled. The airline fully expects this resilient streak of strong operational performance to continue into its Thanksgiving travel period. The airline and its regional partners will operate nearly 81,000 flights during this period, which runs from Nov. 20 through Dec. 2.

“As American approaches the busy holiday season, our operation is delivering an on-time and reliable operation,” said Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer. “Our customers can count on American to get them to the Thanksgiving table, giving them the certainty they deserve in their travel plans this holiday.”

American’s 2025 Thanksgiving operation

A larger schedule: American and its regional partners will operate 80,759 scheduled flights this Thanksgiving travel period, larger than 2024 and the biggest schedule of any airline worldwide.

Peak travel days: Sunday, Nov. 30, will be the most traveled day, followed by Monday, Dec. 1.

Extra capacity: Special late-night flights have been added at Phoenix (PHX) and Chicago (ORD) on Nov. 30 to help customers return from the holiday.

Keeping bags moving: American expects to handle nearly 5.6 million checked bags during the holiday period, continuing its record-breaking baggage handling performance.

Peak operations: At 11:10 a.m. CT on Dec. 1, 1,077 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute, the highest number during the travel period.

Fun fact: The Boeing 777-300ER, American’s largest aircraft, has a maximum takeoff weight of 775,000 lbs., equal to about 52,000 15-lb turkeys.