The number of travelers flying for Thanksgiving this year is expected to rebound to pre-COVID levels, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it is ready to handle the surge, reports AP News. In 2019, a record 26 million travelers passed through US airport screening in the 11-day period around Thanksgiving. TSA Administrator David Pekoske said he expects agency staffing to be sufficient for what’s traditionally TSA’s busiest travel period. “We are prepared,” Pekoske said in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He said travelers should expect long lines at airports and plan to spend a little more time getting through security. Pekoske also said he doesn't think the vaccine mandate for TSA agents will have any effect on staffing for Thanksgiving next week. “In fact, implementation of the mandate will make travel safer and healthier for everyone,” he said. “So, we see quite a significant increase in the number of our officers that are vaccinated, and I’m very confident that there will be no impact for Thanksgiving.”

A new study from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) found that Americans are planning more travel in 2022, due to being less concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, reports Travel Pulse. According to the survey of over 1,000 participants, 48 percent said they have already made plans for travel in the first half of 2022 or plan to do so once they decide on a destination. In comparison, 27 percent of travelers said they are waiting to see what happens with COVID-19 before working out a plan for winter travel, an increase from the 19 percent during the same period last year. Commercial air travel numbers are also on the rise during the first half of 2022, with early bookings more than doubling since the 2020 holiday season, up from 24 percent to 51 percent. Additionally, a recent study from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) found that 29 percent of Americans are likely to travel for Thanksgiving and 33 percent expect to travel for Christmas, an increase from 21 percent and 24 percent, respectively, compared to last year.

Delta Air Lines has announced that it has partnered with the LATAM Airlines Group to add more than 20 international routes between the US and South America, while also expanding connections to a broad number of domestic and regional destinations. The agreement enables connections to more than 40 codeshare destinations in South America, covering the domestic markets of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, the regional network, and South America-United States international routes operated by Delta and LATAM. Additionally, more than 70 US domestic routes operated by Delta will be added. Both airlines will expand their current codeshare network in the next few months, with routes to be added to destinations on Delta's domestic network in the US and between the US and Canada. "Delta is as committed as ever to providing our customers with expanded travel options and service that is award-winning. The extension of our codeshare agreement with the LATAM Group enables Delta to expand our route network and customer benefits just as borders have reopened and customers travel freely again,” said Alain Bellemare, President International of Delta Air Lines. “We look forward to introducing more of our customers to the LATAM Group’s exceptional service and complementary route network, and to welcoming more LATAM customers on board our flights between South America and the United States.”

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced the expansion of its TSA PreCheck expedited screening program with the addition of two new airlines. The new airlines are Global Crossing, a charter airline serving the US, Caribbean, and Latin America markets, and El Al Israel. Based in Tel Aviv, El Al Israel Airlines currently operates from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Miami International Airport (MIA), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with daily direct flights between the US and Israel. With the addition of these two airlines, TSA is up to 80 participating domestic and international carriers for its PreCheck program.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added three popular European nations and a small island destination in the English Channel to its list of "very high" risk travel destinations, reports CNN. The four destinations moved to Level 4, the highest risk category, are Czech Republic, Guernsey, Hungary, and Iceland. Destinations that fall into the CDC's "COVID-19 Very High" Level 4 category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. People should avoid traveling to locations designated with a "Level 4" notice, the CDC recommends. The agency also advises that anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first. Previously, all four destinations had been listed in the Level 3 category of "COVID-19 High" risk. By moving to Level 4, they join the ranks of other travel favorites in Europe and elsewhere, including Belgium, Netherlands, Singapore, Turkey, and the US Virgin Islands. In all, more than 70 destinations are currently at Level 4.