Delta Air Lines Announces Record-Breaking Thanksgiving Travel Period

The early numbers for the busy 2019 Thanksgiving travel period are being reported, and Delta Air Lines revealed it flew a record 3.5 million customers during the holiday season.

Delta officials said the estimated 3.5 million passengers flew between Monday, November 25 and Sunday, December 1, on 32,730 flights around the world. The airline previously reported that it transported more than 2.3 million customers between Wednesday and Sunday of the 2018 Thanksgiving season.

While much of the United States experienced ideal Thanksgiving conditions, winter weather impacted travel as people were heading to their destination and then once again when they were returning home over the weekend.

“Delta people prove yet again that they’re the best in class for handling anything that comes their way – even when Mother Nature may have other plans for our customers,” Delta Senior Vice President Erik Snell said in a statement.

“As we kick off the holiday season, millions of people continue to trust us with their travel, and as a leader in reliability, we keep exceeding their expectations as we connect more people around the globe than ever before,” Snell continued. “Congratulations on a great start to the holiday season.”

In total, Delta revealed it was forced to cancel 34 Delta Connection flights in the Midwest Saturday and another 160 flights in the Northeast and New England on Sunday.

According to FlightAware.com, over 200 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled Tuesday morning and another 500-plus have been delayed. The disruptions follow around 930 flight cancellations and 7,600 delays on Monday and around 950 flight cancellations and 6,600 delays on Sunday.