San Francisco International sees smooth start to Thanksgiving travel surge

By Amanda Hari

AAA is projecting that nearly 82 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes for the Thanksgiving holiday. About 6 million of those people are expected to take a domestic flight.

It’s supposed to be a 2% increase in air travel compared to 2024. This prediction comes despite weeks of delays and canceled flights because of the government shutdown. 

On Sunday night, the scene at San Francisco International Airport was a relief for travelers.

“Completely boring,” said Stewart Alsop, affectionately describing his travel experience.

Although he did admit there was one hiccup.

“Well, we had a little bit of a thing at the airport; they couldn’t get the baggage door open on the airplane,” Alsop explained. “But we only left 30 minutes late.”

Alsop lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but is celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday in San Francisco.

“Part of my family is here,” said Alsop. “The family down there wasn’t sticking around. We used to live here. I lived here for 35 years.”

His grandson’s birthday is also earlier in the week, and they have a lot to celebrate.

“My grandson had the winning touchdown in a football game, so going to treat him like a star,” Alsop detailed. 

Vivian Kwok anticipated a busy travel week, which is why she was coming home to Redwood City on Sunday.

“It’s usually more crazy during the holiday season,” said Kwok when asked why she traveled the week before Thanksgiving. “We wanted it to be more relaxed.”

Kwok visited family in Vancouver, and even though they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in November, some of the activities were similar.

“We definitely did a lot of souvenir shopping and we definitely ate a whole lot of food, so it felt like Thanksgiving,” Kwok said.

Jexy Nepangue was getting back from a work trip, just in time for the holiday. She was grateful to touch down at SFO without any flight issues.

“I was like, I’m so glad I’m back in the Bay Area,” said Nepangue. “There’s nothing like the Bay.”

Alsop is a seasoned traveler. He’s already visited the Bay Area several times this year, and those would be considered small trips.

In the last few weeks, he flew out to the United Arab Emirates.

“I just came back from Abu Dhabi, and all my flights were on time in both directions and that was three flights both ways,” Alsop explained. 

AAA recommends traveling earlier in the day to avoid congestion.