SFO Braces for Holiday Rush: Anticipating Unprecedented Travel Delays

SAN FRANCISCO – Cloud cover and rainy conditions caused delays for approximately 130 flights arriving at and departing from San Francisco International Airport on Monday morning, just two days prior to Christmas.

The delays were noted around 10 a.m. on FlightAware, which indicated that there were no cancellations at that moment.

Oakland and San Jose airports reported no delays.

The automobile association AAA forecasts that over 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their residences between Saturday and New Year’s Day, surpassing the holiday travel record previously set in 2019.

The organization Airlines for America also anticipates unprecedented travel volume, expecting U.S. airlines to transport 54 million travelers during a 19-day period starting Thursday and concluding on Jan. 6. This figure would mark a 6% rise compared to last year.

Airlines predict their busiest days will be on Dec. 26, Dec. 27, and Dec. 29.

Air traffic is projected to be minimal on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The least busy air travel day in the U.S. this year—by a significant margin—was Thanksgiving Day.

The Transportation Security Administration anticipates screening 40 million travelers during the holiday period and up until January 2.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.