By Doyinsola Oladipo
NEW YORK (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.
(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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