There are only two days left until Thanksgiving! People are already setting their out-of-office notifications on and getting ready to see their loved ones. Airlines are also preparing to handle the rush this holiday season, especially American Airlines. The carrier is expecting to serve 8.6 million passengers over the next two weeks.

Airbus A321 in air
American Airlines is, of course, one of the key players in American transcontinental flights. Photo: Airbus

Peak season

According to a press release by AA, the airline is putting faith in technology to handle the extra rush. It has emphasized the use of its website, app and self-service kiosks to help passengers get to their destinations. There will be customers traveling from all over the world to make it home and spend this time with their families. Time is of the essence, as many passengers will be leaving straight from work and will be having to return back as soon as possible.

Before the flight, customers are recommended to peruse AA's virtual online aircraft tours. Along with this, they can digitally pre-order meals in premium cabins and purchase food for pick up at the airport. This will enable fliers to worry less about these aspects while preboarding.

Furthermore, American's passengers can receive real-time flight information, delivered to their phone through both Siri and text messages. In the event of overbooking, customers can be notified via an app. This will give them a chance to rebook or volunteer without the burden at the airport.

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Thanksgiving is one of the busiest periods of the year in the United States. Airlines have an important role to play. Photo: American Airlines

Biometric assistance

The swiftness of the journey through the airport will be improved through the carrier's virtual terminal maps. Additionally, AA's implementation of biometric boarding will also help with passenger load time this Thanksgiving.

An American Airlines spokesperson informed Simple Flying that, over the next fortnight, it expects its hubs of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to be the two busiest airports that it operates from.

A few months ago, American Airlines began its rollout of biometric boarding for select flights from DFW. Here, no boarding pass is required, which will save on resources and time taken during the boarding process.

AA is DFW’s largest airline, offering 91 daily international departures to 63 destinations worldwide. There are plans to expand this feature further. Ultimately, It will go to approximately 75 international gates throughout Terminals A, B, C and D before the new year.

Passengers may reap the benefits with the addition of this system, especially when it comes to speed. Earlier this year, Lufthansa boarded 350 passengers onto an Airbus A380 within 20 minutes with the help of biometric boarding.

Airbus A321 Runway
The airline is helping passengers prepare for their journey. Photo: Airbus

Home in time for dinner

With American's online rebooking system, there will be flexibility for customers if their flight is delayed or canceled. The firm hopes that its electronic voucher system will reduce inconvenience for those in unfortunate situations.

Along with this, AA states that it will proactively notify customers about delayed baggage via these digital systems. This will help customers arrange the delivery of their bags so that they can rush home for dinner.

With millions of people hoping for a seamless journey over the next two weeks, AA is being proactive with its operations. We hope that everyone has a joyous experience this holiday and we wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Will you be traveling via American Airlines this Thanksgiving? Let us know how you'll be preparing for the rush in the comment section.