The TSA warns that a record-breaking number of Americans will take to the skies to travel over the 2019 Thanksgiving Holiday, increasing the need for safety and security for all types of plane traffic.
Last week, the Transportation Security Administration announced that the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday period (November 22 – December 2, 2019) is forecast to break records in air travel. The TSA expects over 26,800,000 people to go through airport security checkpoints for commercial flights alone.
From TSA Deputy Administrator Patricia Cogswell:
“We expect record breaking travel volume this 2019 holiday season, following our busiest summer ever. To plan for the season, partnerships with industry and stakeholders are critical to keep travelers moving safely and securely to holiday destinations. We want to ensure travelers are as best prepared as they can be.”
Of course, this likelihood comes from the federal agency responsible for safety checks and airport security for commercial air travel. The commercial airline industry has even bigger predictions.
December 1, 2019 to be Biggest Day in U.S. Commercial Aviation History
Industry leaders at Airlines for America (A4A) herald the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day (December 1, 2019) as the “busiest day in US commercial aviation history, transporting a record 3.1 million passengers on that single day alone.” For more details, read “US airlines expect record-breaking Thanksgiving travel season,” written by Pilar Wolfsteller and published by FlightGlobal on November 19, 2019.
This means the skies above Illinois and Indiana will be filled with large commercial aircraft carrying precedent-setting numbers of passengers over the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday. Both the increased volume of aircraft and the increased number of passengers serve to boost the risk of serious accident or injury during the upcoming holiday weekend.
Other Planes Sharing the Airspace over Record-Breaking Travel Weekend
Safety advocates, already alert at the expected jump in commercial air traffic, also recognize the added complexity of other aircraft that will be sharing the airspace with the big airlines, transporting Thanksgiving travelers in Indiana and Illinois airspace.
Private Charters
Private jet charters are an option for many. Those that can afford the private jet alternative can book a jet within a short time frame, and also look forward to avoiding crowds and the long TSA lines. For more, read “How the .01% do Thanksgiving: Helicoptering to private jets,” written by Emily Jane Fox and published on November 25, 2014, by CNN Business.
Private jet charter companies are also preparing for a huge number of passengers over this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Private Planes – General Aviation Aircraft
Other air travelers will opt for flying their own private planes and small aircraft. Small, single-engine aircraft or larger planes like Cessna Citations will be flown during the upcoming holiday travel period as well. These are non-commercial aircraft, called “General Aviation” by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and it is considered the largest group of aircraft in the world.
For more on pilots flying their own aircraft over Thanksgiving, read “General Aviation is a $20 Billion Industry in the United States; How Safe is It?” This article includes a discussion of the November 2018 crash of a Cessna Citation near Memphis, Indiana, on its way to Chicago’s Midway Airport, where three people perished in the crash, including the head of TEG Architects, Wayne Estopinal, who managed the company that owned the plane.
Airport Safety: Another Factor for Air Travel this Thanksgiving Holiday
All sizes of airports must be prepared for keeping planes and passengers, at every level, safe and secure during this high traffic time. From air traffic controllers watching the skies to those dealing with runway weather conditions, keeping air travelers safe involves vigilance on the ground as well as in the air. The FAA, for instance, reports that three (3) runway incursions happen every day in this country.
Many will think of the need to protect travelers at Chicago’s famous O’Hare International Airport, for instance, but there will also be an increased need for safety protocols at Chicago’s other airports, i.e.: Dupage County, Midway, Pal-Waukee, and Rockford.
Over in Indiana, there will be increased air traffic requiring even more safety alerts at the 37 different airports within the state, including Indianapolis International, Fort Wayne International, and South Bend Regional.
Risks of Injury or Death: Air Travel in Indiana and Illinois
The United States is recognized as having the highest number of deadly airline accidents in the world. This statistic is sobering, given the anticipated increase in commercial air traffic over the upcoming 2019 Thanksgiving Holiday.
Plane crashes, especially those involving small aircraft, are particularly dangerous and likely to result in fatalities. However, serious bodily injury or death during air travel need not involve an actual crash of the plane itself.
Passengers can be seriously hurt or killed in a wide variety of accidents that occur on the airplane outside of any crash event. The negligence of the airline, airport personnel, or others (maintenance crews; plane or parts manufacturers, etc.) can cause bodily injuries that include:
- Injuries from falling objects during turbulence;
- Exposure to deadly diseases;
- Immobility injuries including pulmonary embolism; or
- Trauma resulting from in-flight intentional acts, including assaults and rapes.
For more, read “Hurt During Air Travel: Claims for In-Flight Airline Injuries” and “Injuries on an Airplane: Aviation Accident Claims for In-Flight Injury.”
Claims for Victims and Their Families Injured or Killed While Traveling by Plane
Both Illinois and Indiana have special aviation laws which protect victims of plane crashes and aviation accidents. Federal law may also provide help to those who have suffered injury or death in an air travel incident.
Personal injury and wrongful death claims may be available for victims of an accident or injury while travelling by commercial or private plane here in Indiana or Illinois. Accident victims may seek compensation for injuries sustained as the result of negligence of the airline or owner of the plane, as well as those responsible for repair and maintenance, the pilot, the airport, and even fellow passengers when their conduct causes or contributes to the events resulting in injury or death.
This Thanksgiving, Indiana and Illinois air travel is anticipated to be record-breaking. It is hoped that all those involved will succeed in keeping all passengers and air travelers safe and secure over this holiday weekend, and that tragedy will be avoided. Please, let’s be careful out there!
