American Airlines said it expects to serve a record 7.8 million-plus customers during the upcoming Thanksgiving travel period, which runs from November 16-28, 2023.
This intense travel period will be the airline’s busiest ever and comes as it has been running the most reliable operation of any U.S. network carrier for the past 14 months. That includes the 2023 summer when American led its major network competitors in completion factor and on-time departures.
“We are running the best operation in our airline’s history,” American’s COO David Seymour said in a statement. “As our customers travel to spend time with their friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving, we look forward to continuing to deliver a safe and reliable operation they can count on, and that’s thanks to the hard work of our more than 130,000 team members.”
Heading into the holiday season, American has boasted the industry’s largest flight schedule. Key to the airline’s success has been getting systems back on track when weather or other conditions affect operations.
During severe weather and other disruptions, American has been recovering faster than its competitors. That was especially true this summer—despite a significant uptick in severe weather—which took place during 70 percent of the peak summer schedule. In that same period, American led its major network competitors in completion factor and on-time departures.
American’s operation is also benefiting from years of planning and investment in decision-support and machine-learning tools that ensure the airline can get customers on their way faster.
These tools include the Hub Efficiency Analytics Tool, which enables American to adjust its operation around severe weather, and smart gating, which reduces taxi times at large hubs.