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Bus and train bookings rise 12% year-on-year for

Thanksgiving

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Amtrak expects record-breaking Thanksgiving travel

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Thanksgiving flight bookings grow modestly amid government

shutdown

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Travelers face 11% rise in bus and 10% in train prices

By Doyinsola Oladipo

NEW YORK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Americans are increasingly

booking buses and trains to their Thanksgiving destinations this

year while some have outright canceled their plans following the

worst disruptions to air travel since the start of the

government shutdown.

Travelers frustrated by the rise in flight cancellations and

long TSA lines are making alternative plans for travel even

though the U.S. Senate moved to reopen the government as it is

expected to take some time for air travel to go back to normal.

Bus and train bookings for the Thanksgiving holiday period

have increased 12% year-on-year, led by a rise in demand for bus

travel, according to travel search engine Wanderu. Several

departure dates are seeing as high as a 20% to 30%

year-over-year increase in bookings, a spokesperson said, with

noted growth in demand for travel to the suburbs of St. Louis,

New York City and Washington, D.C.

Just weeks shy of one of the busiest travel seasons of the

year, airlines canceled on Monday about 2,400 flights and

delayed over 9,500 flights. On Sunday, about 2,950 flights were

canceled and nearly 11,200 delayed in the single worst day for

flight disruptions since the government shutdown began on

October 1.

Megabus said it started seeing a significant increase in

purchases last week. Greyhound-owner Flix said searches for

buses are trending higher especially around peak days, Tuesday

and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Sunday return, according

to Kai Boysan, CEO of Flix North America, which operates the

continent's largest intercity bus network.

"We anticipate more travelers may turn to ground

transportation in the days ahead, and we're monitoring demand

closely and prepared to add capacity where needed to ensure

people can keep moving," said Boysan.

Wanderu said in the past week it's seen elevated levels of

train ticket purchases for over 200 miles.

Amtrak said it is anticipating record-breaking 2025

Thanksgiving travel, with double-digit growth in early bookings

relative to last year. The company said to meet demand it is

expanding capacity for its Northeast regional routes including

Boston and Washington. Last year, more than 1.2 million

passengers traveled with Amtrak during the Thanksgiving

holiday.

EASIER TO SAY 'NO TO THANKSGIVING'

Government mandated flight cuts will rise to 6% on Tuesday

at 40 major airports across the U.S. and expected to increase to

10% by Nov. 14.

"This would be a rare case where it is probably be a little

easier for us to say no to Thanksgiving," said Harry Cooke, 28,

who typically travels to Boston to visit family for the

holidays, noting that travel during the holiday is hectic enough

absent a shutdown.

Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. airlines,

told Reuters that carriers have seen a drop-off in passenger

bookings. CEO Chris Sununu urged customers to "stick with their

current travel plans".

As of October 31, Thanksgiving flight bookings were trending

2.2% higher compared to the same period in 2024, according to

Cirium, an aviation analytics firm. However, as of November 7,

2025, bookings were trending 0.96% above last year.

Other travelers are cancelling plans due to the surging

costs of alternatives. Over the past week, bus and train prices

have risen by 11% and 10%, respectively, compared to the 2 weeks

prior, according to Wanderu.

"If you look back even further, travelers who booked their

Thanksgiving tickets in early October avoided a 16% rise in bus

ticket prices over the past month, a number that will continue

to rise as the holiday gets closer," a spokesperson said.