U.S. Federal Aviation Administration sent this bulletin at 12/03/2025 01:22 PM EST
Week of December 1, 2025
Thanksgiving Record
The FAA saw its busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years! From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, we safely handled more than 313,000 flights. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving was our busiest day with over 52,000 flights. In an end-of-year twist, Friday, Nov. 21, made it into our top-five busiest days of 2025.
As we start to see winter weather blow in, travelers should be sure to pack their patience. Weather is the leading cause of delays and cancellations, and it created challenges for some parts of the country over our latest holiday travel period.
When bad weather moves in, air traffic controllers use different strategies, including delays and reroutes. On the ground, aircraft are sprayed with deicing fluid to remove and prevent ice buildup. Airports also keep runways and taxiways clear of snow and ice.
Be sure to keep an eye on our NAS Status page for real-time airport information. Contact your airline for information about your flight.
Our first Weather Squad guest for the 2025 winter season is Philadelphia’s Adam Joseph. 6ABC’s senior meteorologist brings us the rest of the week’s forecast, starting with plenty of sunshine in the Northeast and frigid temperatures in the Northern Plains. Stormy conditions are expected along the Gulf Coast tomorrow, with that inclement weather tracking up toward Atlanta and Charlotte as we move into an otherwise quiet weekend.
FAA Conducts Final Off-Airport Drone Detection Tests of 2025
The FAA conducted drone-detection testing at Starr Forest, Mississippi, from Oct. 13–24.
The FAA selected Mississippi because Mississippi State University owns and manages Starr Forest and performs an annual prescribed burn there as part of its forestry curriculum. The agency used this burn to evaluate drone-detection systems in a smoky environment.
This was the final off-airport test the FAA scheduled for 2025. The agency previously conducted testing in Alaska, New Jersey, New Mexico, and North Dakota.
The agency has been testing drone-detection technologies at airports over the last few years and expanded testing to off-airport locations. These tests helped determine the effectiveness of these technologies and whether they might interfere with FAA or aircraft navigation systems.
