Thanks to the record number of travelers expected to travel this holiday, weather woes and the usual list of things that can go wrong with any trip, airports are likely to be zany for the next few days.
Here are just some of the amenities airports are rolling out and reminding travelers about to help ease the journey.
Holiday travel got you feeling ruff? 🐾 Our SEA Pups are on deck to deliver all the tail wags, smiles, and feel-good travel vibes.⁰Here’s when you can catch them: pic.twitter.com/nScOoOcVAQ
Make your Thanksgiving reunion extra special at Love Landing, located on the second floor of #DAL! Enjoy sweet treats from Dunkin' and take in the scenic views from the Observation Deck. It's the perfect spot to welcome your loved ones. ✈️❤️#TravelWithLovepic.twitter.com/iajN2nYZYh
The sensory room at @LGAairport Terminal C (post-security, Level 3, near the Delta Sky Club) offers a safe, calming space for neurodivergent travelers, away from the hustle and bustle of air travel.
Grab your bag and enjoy the expedition of “Echos of Nature and Humanity”, by Ali Khataw! Baggage Claim at AUS just added a stunning new visual storytelling series that features a collection of photographs that perfectly capture the deep connections between nature and humanity. pic.twitter.com/JUktRtV3OI
— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) November 25, 2025
We’ll add more airport holiday alerts over the next few days, but if you’re traveling by train in New York and Connecticut, look for these Metro-North Holiday Light Trains starting on Friday.
The Holiday Lights Trains are back!We'll be doubling the holiday spirit this year with the addition of a festive diesel train, bringing bright lights and spreading holiday cheer to even more stations!These Holiday Lights trains will make their debut on Friday and run through New Year’s.
Will air traffic be ‘normal’ now that the government shutdown is over? Not quite yet…
The longest government shutdown is officially over. But the hassle it created for air travelers is not.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) didn’t end the current flight reductions, which were set to go to 8% on Thursday and to 10% on Friday.
Instead, there’s a new emergency order freezing the mandated flight reductions at the current 6% level while the FAA figures out what’s next.
“If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operations,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
The 40 affected airports where flight reductions have been mandated remains the same (see below). But cancellations and delays continue to ripple through the entire system.
Early Thursday morning (1 am EST) Flightaware.com was reporting close to 1000 canceled flights within, into or out of the U.S. and about 400 delays for the day.
And getting back to normal won’t be all that easy. Or smooth. Even when the flights reductions are completely lifted.
“Airlines cannot flip a switch and resume normal operations immediately after a vote,” aviation industry group, Airlines for America, noted in a statement shortly before the government shutdown votes were completed, “There will be residual effects for days.”
“High impact” airports with mandated flight reductions
ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport BOS – Boston Logan International Airport BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport DAL – Dallas Love Field DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport DEN – Denver International Airport DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport HNL – Honolulu International Airport HOU – William P. Hobby Airport IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport IND – Indianapolis International Airport JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport LAX – Los Angeles International Airport LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport MCO – Orlando International Airport MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport MEM – Memphis International Airport MIA – Miami International Airport MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport OAK – Oakland International Airport ONT – Ontario International Airport ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport PDX – Portland International Airport PHL – Philadelphia International Airport PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport SAN – San Diego International Airport SDF – Louisville International Airport SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport SFO – San Francisco International Airport SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport TEB – Teterboro Airport TPA – Tampa International Airport
And end to the government shutdown may be closer to reality.
But the Federal Aviation Administration has not yet lifted mandated flight reductions at the busiest airports around the country that in place to try reduce stress on the air traffic control system.
As a result, massive flight cancelations and delays are still a major issue.
As the day begins, Flightaware.com is reporting more than 1,100 flight cancellations for today (Tuesday) and about 600 delays.
But that is likely to increase over the course of the day, especially with weather issues in some parts of the country.
Updated airline refund/change fee waiver policies
Airlines are updating their travel advisories and travel alerts on a rolling basis to reflect the flights they have canceled in response to flight reduction mandates.
Refunds are available if you choose not to fly. Be sure to read the details about rebooking, as there are restrictions about when your flight was booked, and when you choose to fly.
And of course, keep checking back, as the policies are being updated each day.
Alaska Airlines: policies apply for flights scheduled through November 17. If you’re not requesting a refund, you can rebook to fly by November 24.
An update on the FAA-mandated flight reductions affecting Alaska Airlines and @HawaiianAir. Swipe for details.
Due to the ongoing federal shutdown and ATC staffing shortages, the FAA has directed all U.S. airlines to reduce flights at select airports. Please check your flight… pic.twitter.com/xzMKafGxM5
American Airlines is offering refunds and waiving changes fees for travel to/through or from more than 20 airports for flighs sheduled through November 15. The change fee waiver applies to rebooked flights through November 17.
Delta Air Lines: If you were scheduled to travel by 15, 2025, the change fee waiver applies to rebooked flights that occur by November 17.
Delta is temporarily reducing flights at 40 US airports to comply with federal directives. All planned FAA-directed flight cancellations through Nov. 12 have been completed.
To check your flight status, please use https://t.co/yQj0bzerMw or the Fly Delta App, where you can also…
Our schedule changes through Wednesday, November 12 are in place. You can find a list of canceled flights, at as well as additional information on how to rebook or request a refund, at: https://t.co/CxKTsRZZxu
If the U.S. government shutdown continues, there could be trouble for travelers and the U.S. travel and tourism economy on multiple fronts.
Trouble at airports and in the skies
For now, airports and airlines are continuing to operate as normal and are issuing reassurances that they are.
But if the shutdown continues, air travelers should be prepared for long security and customs lines and canceled or delayed flights.
Air traffic controllers, TSA officers and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff are considered ‘essential workers’ and are required to work during the shutdown.
But they won’t be getting paid. And, as the last government shutdown dragged on, the strain of working under those conditions caused many of those workers to call in sick, take on other jobs or just not show up for their shifts.
TSA says it has stopped actively managing its website and social media accounts during the lapse in federal funding.
However, before stepping away, the agency stated on X (formerly Twitter) that approximately 61,000 of its 64,000 employees are considered excepted or exempt, and that TSA will continue operations.
“The remaining employees will be temporarily furloughed,” it added.
In a pre-shutdown release, the Airline trade group, Airlines for America, warned that while “aviation is the safest mode of transportation, to maintain that during the shutdown, “the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association notes that in addition to air traffic controllers working without pay, the shutdown means that approximately 2,350 aviation safety professionals that NATCA represents, including aircraft certification engineers and aerospace engineers, are furloughed.
“Critical safety support, operational support, and modernization work will stop,” says NATCA.
Closures of museums and National Parks
Elsewhere, Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. are closed.
A message from the National Park Service says that “National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable.”
The agency has posted some closure alerts on its website and has more details in its contingency plan document. But be prepared to find visitor centers, historic buildings and other staffed facilities in any National Parks that remain open to be inaccessible.
There are state and local efforts around the country to keep individual parks and monuments open.
For example, Colorado is offering to help keep its eight National Park properties open. The South Dakota tourism office says many of its National Park sites remain open, including Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore. However, visitor centers and guided tours are unavailable.
And the Interior Department announced plans to keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open in New York.
In general, the rule of thumb for travelers during this shutdown is to be flexible, check – and check again – on the status of any place you hope to visit and hope that this mess gets resolved quickly.
Because in addition to the disruptions individual travelers may be dealing with, Tourism Economics estimates that the travel economy is at risk of losing $1 billion a week due to disruptions in air and rail travel and the closure of national parks and museums.
[Our story about the premiumization of airports first appeared on NBC News]
Pittsburghers are so excited to see the new $1.7 billion airport terminal that Pittsburgh International Airport is opening this fall that 18,000 of them applied for 2,000 test day slots even before the date was set.
The lucky volunteers chosen to drive to the airport and fly nowhere will be among the first “passengers” to pass under the soaring wood ceiling dotted with more than 4,000 constellation lights and grab some fresh air while enjoying a snack on one of the four pre- and post-security outdoor green terraces.
They’ll be greeted by Alexander Calder’s reinstalled 28-foot-long hanging mobile, which is named for the city. Then they will make their way through a facility powered by the airport’s own microgrid and staffed by some employees whose kids spend their days playing at the airport’s on-property day care center.
In addition to being more efficient and high-tech, the new terminal is designed to “elevate the passenger experience,” said airport CEO Christina Cassotis.
Airports everywhere are undergoing makeovers, amplifying VIP-style services and other amenities that offer travelers expanded options for their journey. Airlines are installing premium cabin upgrades, and lounge spaces are getting larger and snazzier.
The $19 billion makeover underway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York includes two new terminals and modernizations of two existing terminals. New Terminal One, which will be JFK’s largest terminal, will open in phases beginning in 2026 and include more than 300,000 square feet of dining, retail, lounge and recreational space.
Partners building JFK’s $4.2 billion Terminal 6, also set to open in phases starting in 2026, say travelers will find a “digital-first, boutique guest experience.”
The recent $1.5 billion transformation of JFK Terminal 4, currently the airport’s largest terminal, is “distinctive, personalized and not cookie-cutter,” said Belinda Jain, vice president, Customer Experience & Commercial at Terminal 4 operator JFKIAT. Its commercial offerings are intended to reflect life in New York, with regular pop-ups and eight lounges, including Capital One’s largest lounge to date.
While many airport upgrades reflect expected growth in passenger traffic and some long-delayed infrastructure investments, the “premiumization” of many services and the flurry of new lounges may be a response to airports being – or feeling – more crowded. Travelers have been willing to open their wallets to improve their experience and feel “special.”
To lounge or not?
At many airports, the experience on the concourse is nice enough that you don’t need to access a lounge to have robust Wi-Fi, power outlets, comfortable seating, pleasant surroundings and plentiful concessions, said travel analyst Henry Harteveldt, president and founder of Atmosphere Research.
Yet 14% of the 5,000 U.S. airline passengers his group surveyed earlier this year said they have ongoing access to airport lounges through paid memberships, qualifying credit cards or flights, and spend status with an airline, said Harteveldt.
“We all want something that not everybody else has. And these lounges also appeal to the innate snob in all of us. In some cases, the lounges are above the general concourse area, meaning you are literally looking down on the people in the main terminal area,” said Harteveldt.
In a recent survey of more than 10,000 global travelers who take two or more trips a year, airport lounge operator Airport Dimensions found that 66% of U.S. travelers said they’d be willing to purchase premium services such as priority check-in, fast-track lanes, paid waiting areas and lounges access to improve their airport experience.
The survey found that so-called affluent leisure travelers were significantly more willing to pay for those premium services than others. These travelers, also known as ALTs, are defined as taking three more trips a year and their propensity to spend at airports.
“These are people traveling by choice, not just necessity,” said Chris Gwilliam, Airport Dimensions’ senior vice president of Global Business. “And they are willing to spend when the experience feels worth it.”
Those with big budgets who want an even more premium experience can access luxury terminals when flying commercial from some airports.
Going private at commercial airports
PS, which opened a private, gated terminal for affluent travelers at Los Angeles International Airport in 2017, opened a second location at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2023. It plans openings for airports in Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami in 2026.
Services include private security screening, on-site customs and immigration facilities, spa services, chef-prepared meals, private suites or shared private lounge access and chauffeur service to the airplane. Fees range from $1295 for individual access to close to $5,000 for a private suite for up to four travelers.
Demand for private travel experiences has skyrocketed since the pandemic along with the general desire to splurge on travel, said Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS. “It’s a trend that we have benefited from.”
Even non-affluent fliers are ponying up.
Concierge services for every budget
SkySquad is a service that expedites check-in and escorts travelers from the curb to the gate for prices ranging from $79 (walk-up) to $149 (pre-booked) for up to six people at a growing number of airports, The Bethesda, Maryland-based company had its busiest month ever in December at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), where the company can only service customers of Spirit Airlines, an ultra-low-cost carrier.
“We helped over 2,900 groups at FLL that month, which shows that travelers across all price points value a VIP experience,” said company founder Julie Melnick.
There are other widely available ways to get preferential treatment. The expedited screening lane accessible with TSA Precheck is available at more than 200 airports. Pricing varies by enrollment provider, but can be around $85. For $209 a year, travelers can join CLEAR+ and cut to the front of the security checkpoint line at more than 59 airports.
“Travel is hard, and it’s only getting harder,” said Annabel Walsh, CLEAR’s senior vice president for marketing. Services like CLEAR’s, she said, give travelers “a faster, more predictable, premium experience when they need it most.”
