Today in the travel industry we’re looking ahead to the Thanksgiving travel weekend, while a new court decision throws a roadblock in the UK’s plan to leave the European Union.
Thanksgiving Travel Up 2.5 Percent
It’s going to be another busy Thanksgiving travel weekend, according to a new study by Airlines for America (A4A), which has released a projection suggesting that 27.3 million passengers will take to the skies during the Thanksgiving travel period, up 2.5 percent over last year. A4A defines the Thanksgiving travel period as from Friday, November 18, through Tuesday, November 29.
Low airfares are driving the increase, A4A said, and airlines are adding 74,000 seats each day in capacity to prepare. The busiest travel days are projected to be Sunday, November 27, Monday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 23. The lightest will be Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, November 24.
New York and Cancun will be leading the way in terms of destinations over Thanksgiving, according to another study by Allianz Global Assistance. Allianz reviewed the travel plans of mover 1.3 million Americans over the Thanksgiving travel period (which this study defines as being between November 19 and 27) to determine travelers’ top destinations, both domestically and internationally. They are:
| Rank | U.S. Destination | International Destination |
| 1 | New York City | Cancun |
| 2 | Los Angeles | London |
| 3 | Orlando | San Juan |
| 4 | San Francisco | Tokyo |
| 5 | Boston | Paris |
| 6 | Atlanta | Puerto Vallarta |
| 7 | Chicago | San Jose Del Cabo |
| 8 | Newark | Hong Kong |
| 9 | Las Vegas | Aruba |
| 10 | Fort Lauderdale | Sydney |
British Court: Parliament Must Vote on EU Exit
In Europe, the Brexit plan for the UK to leave the European Union hit a roadblock today when a British court ruled that Parliament must be allowed to vote on whether or not the UK can start the process, the BBC reports. The decision means that the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty — the official start to exit negotiations with the EU — on its own.
The government is appealing the decision, and another hearing is expected to happen next month. Meanwhile, BBC’s assistant political editor, Norman Smith, says that, if the court’s decision holds, it could mean months of delays for the exit process.
To recap: this summer’s referendum vote to leave the European Union sent the value of the pound plunging against the U.S. dollar, making travel to the UK cheaper and spurring visits, according to Cruise Planners. While a statement by the World Travel and Tourism Council at the time noted that there would be no short-term impact on travel regulations ahead of the official exit negotiations, long-term, uncertainty exists, with the head of low-cost carrier easyJet saying back in June that the airline was considering moving its headquarters from the country in the aftermath of the decision.
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