US Airlines News Today, December 2, 2025: Record Holiday Crowds, Shutdown Fallout, Airbus A320 Fixes and Travel Tuesday Deals

The U.S. airline industry is closing out the long Thanksgiving period with a mix of record passenger volumes, lingering government‑shutdown fallout, fresh disruptions tied to an Airbus A320 software recall — and some of the year’s most aggressive “Travel Tuesday” sales.

Here’s a detailed roundup of what’s happening with U.S. airlines on December 1–2, 2025, and what it means for travelers and the industry.

Record‑Breaking Thanksgiving Traffic Stretches the System

The Sunday after Thanksgiving once again cemented its reputation as the busiest air‑travel day of the year — and this time it set a new all‑time record.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it screened 3.13 million airline passengers on Sunday, November 30, the highest single‑day total ever recorded in the United States. ^[1]
That peak capped an estimated 31 million airline passengers over the 11‑day Thanksgiving period, according to trade group Airlines for America, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecasting more than 360,000 flights over the nine days ending December 2, the highest in about 15 years. ^[2]
TSA has nearly 60,000 employees today and screened 904 million passengers in 2024, a 5% rise from 2023 — a sign that airline demand continues to grow even as the system struggles with staffing, weather and technology shocks. ^[3]

American Airlines alone operated more than 80,000 flights between November 20 and December 2, with some peak days seeing over 1,000 American aircraft in the air at the same time, the carrier said in its holiday guidance. ^[4]

For passengers, the message is clear: the post‑pandemic demand surge isn’t slowing down, and major holidays are now routinely setting new records.

Winter Storms and Airbus A320 Software Recall Drive Thousands of Delays

The record traffic collided with harsh winter weather and a rare fleet‑wide software directive impacting Airbus A320‑family jets, producing a wave of disruptions just as travelers were trying to get home.

According to FlightAware data reported by CBS News and WTOP:

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, there were 12,113 flight delays and 1,424 cancellations across the U.S., with Chicago, New York, Boston, Des Moines, Fort Lauderdale and Detroit among the hardest‑hit airports. ^[5]
A powerful snowstorm in the Midwest and Great Lakes dropped up to 8–10 inches of snow in some areas, leading to more than 1,400 flight cancellations in Chicago alone on Saturday night. ^[6]

At the same time, a snap software retrofit order from Airbus added pressure:

Regulators worldwide ordered software upgrades for roughly 6,000 Airbus A320‑family aircraft after a JetBlue A320 suffered an in‑flight control issue on October 30 linked to a computer malfunction apparently triggered by solar radiation. The aircraft diverted to Tampa. ^[7]
Airbus now says “fewer than 100” A320‑family jets remain grounded while the software patch is installed, calming initial fears of a prolonged, large‑scale grounding. ^[8]

U.S. carriers including JetBlue, Frontier and Spirit have been among those applying the updates. Frontier reported completing its work with “no impact to customers,” while Spirit said it aimed to finish over the weekend while minimizing disruption. ^[9]

JetBlue Resumes Normal Operations but Warns of Capacity Hit

One of the most closely watched airlines in this saga has been JetBlue Airways, which operates an all‑Airbus fleet and was directly involved in the original mid‑air incident that prompted the software alert.

In a regulatory filing and statement on December 2, JetBlue said:

It has completed the mandated software updates on its A320 and A321 fleet and has “resumed normal operations.” ^[10]
The airline warned, however, that the recall will trim its fourth‑quarter capacity by about 0.25% in available seat miles. ^[11]
JetBlue also flagged a one‑point hit to its quarterly operational performance due to the combination of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and shutdown‑related cancellations in early November. ^[12]

This comes on top of the immediate disruption: JetBlue canceled about 170 flights over Thanksgiving weekend while applying the software fix, representing roughly 7% of its schedule on Sunday, according to FlightAware data cited by CBS News. ^[13]

While the software issue now appears contained, investors and travelers are being reminded that highly standardized fleets — long seen as a cost advantage — can become a vulnerability when a common technical issue surfaces.

After a 43‑Day Government Shutdown, Airlines Are Still Counting the Cost

The heavy holiday traffic and weather problems landed just weeks after the U.S. aviation system emerged from a record 43‑day federal government shutdown that hit air travel particularly hard.

Key impacts documented by Reuters, the Associated Press and industry outlets include:

Over the course of the shutdown, U.S. airlines experienced at least 19,986 flight delays linked to reduced air‑traffic‑control staffing, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. ^[14]
At the height of the disruption, carriers canceled more than 2,700 flights and delayed over 10,000 in a single day, the worst day of the shutdown and the worst disruption since early October. Delta alone saw delays or cancellations on more than half of its mainline flights that day. ^[15]
On one November weekend, U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,500 flights as the FAA ordered daily air‑traffic reductions at 40 major airports, starting at about 4% of flights and rising toward 6%, with a planned (but never fully implemented) ceiling of 10%. ^[16]
The trade group Airlines for America told Reuters that the shutdown triggered a drop‑off in new bookings and that airlines were “trying to encourage people to stick with their travel plans” as controller shortages snarled tens of thousands of flights. ^[17]

The shutdown officially ended in mid‑November, after which the FAA rapidly rolled back its emergency orders:

On November 17, the agency said it would end mandated cuts in domestic flights at the 40 affected airports, citing a “steady decline in staffing concerns.” ^[18]
Airlines had already started to ignore the strictest capacity limits: by mid‑month, carriers were canceling just 0.25% of flights at those airports, below normal levels, even though a 3–6% cut was still on the books. ^[19]

Even with the shutdown over, its financial impact is still surfacing. Fresh notes to investors on December 2 say JetBlue’s available seat miles were lower than planned because of shutdown‑related schedule cuts, compounding the effect of the Airbus software directive. ^[20]

Travel Tuesday 2025: US Airlines Fight Back With Big Sales

With operational headaches still fresh in travelers’ minds, U.S. airlines are leaning hard into Cyber Week and Travel Tuesday (December 2) promotions to fill seats for winter and early‑spring travel.

Spirit Airlines: 60% Off Base Fares

Spirit Airlines is highlighting Travel Tuesday with a deep discount:

The carrier is offering 60% off base fares booked on December 2 using promo code 60PCT, for travel between December 9, 2025, and March 4, 2026 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. ^[21]
Blackout dates apply around peak holiday periods (including December 17–January 5 and Presidents’ Day weekend). ^[22]

This comes on top of Spirit’s ongoing “Black & Yellow Friday” campaign, which has showcased one‑way fares from $30 and discounted memberships in the Spirit Saver$ Club through December 2. ^[23]

Alaska & Hawaiian: Buy‑One‑Get‑One to Long‑Haul Leisure Destinations

In a joint PRNewswire release on December 2, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines celebrated a standout Thanksgiving performance and launched eye‑catching Travel Tuesday offers: ^[24]

Across Alaska, Hawaiian and regional carrier Horizon Air, the group operated nearly 7,100 flights between November 26 and 30, leading U.S. carriers in on‑time performance and completion factor.
For Travel Tuesday, the airlines are rolling out one‑day‑only buy‑one‑get‑one (BOGO) deals on select routes, including long‑haul leisure markets such as Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney.

These promotions double as brand‑building for the combined Alaska–Hawaiian network ahead of expanded trans‑Pacific flying in 2026.

American Airlines: Discounted Fares and Cheaper Miles

American Airlines is also in the Cyber Week mix, with multiple overlapping deals:

A Travel Tuesday fare sale is running from November 28 through December 2, valid for nonstop flights originating in the contiguous U.S. to select domestic destinations, with travel dates from January 6 to February 11, 2026 and a 21‑day advance purchase requirement. ^[25]
Separately, American is selling AAdvantage miles at up to 50% off in a Black Friday / Cyber Monday promotion that runs through December 2, representing one of the lowest purchase prices for miles in recent years. ^[26]

United and Others: Cyber Week and Retailing Upgrades

While United’s own Cyber Week fare details are more fragmented across channels, the airline is making news today with its distribution and retailing strategy:

United announced a new long‑term strategic relationship with Travelport aimed at accelerating “modern airline retailing” and expanding its use of New Distribution Capability (NDC) to better bundle fares, ancillaries and personalized offers across travel agencies and corporate booking tools. ^[27]

Meanwhile, sites like Simple Flying and The Points Guy are tracking deals across Delta, United and other carriers as Travel Tuesday becomes a major annual event alongside Black Friday and Cyber Monday. ^[28]

Fleet and Safety: Airbus A320 Issues and Robust Delivery Pipeline

Beyond deals and day‑to‑day operations, there are two structural aviation stories in the background that matter for U.S. airlines.

Airbus A320: Quality Issue and Software Vulnerability

On top of the software recall, Airbus on December 2 confirmed a separate “quality issue” involving metal panels on some A320 aircraft, calling it “contained” and saying only a limited number of aircraft are affected. ^[29]

The company is inspecting all potentially impacted jets, but stresses that newly produced panels meet all requirements and that fewer than 100 aircraft remain immobilized after both the software and panel issues. ^[30]
Analysts note that Airbus has not changed its 2025 delivery guidance, suggesting the disruption is manageable. ^[31]

Given that many U.S. carriers — notably JetBlue, Spirit and Frontier, plus parts of the fleets at American, Delta and United — rely heavily on A320‑family aircraft, this is a critical story for the medium‑term reliability of North American operations. ^[32]

Aircraft Deliveries Hit 7‑Year High

Fresh data from ADS, summarized by Aerospace Global News, shows that global commercial aircraft deliveries in October hit their strongest level since 2018, with 132 aircraft delivered, up 67% year‑on‑year. ^[33]

By the end of October, Airbus and Boeing had delivered 1,092 aircraft in 2025, 25% more than at the same point in 2024, tracking toward a high‑growth scenario of around 1,340 deliveries for the year. ^[34]
The global backlog stands at over 16,000 aircraft, equivalent to more than 16 years of production at current rates, with narrowbodies — the workhorses of U.S. domestic fleets — making up the bulk of that order book. ^[35]

For U.S. airlines, this means:

Newer, more fuel‑efficient aircraft are arriving in larger numbers, helping margins and potentially reliability.
But engine and maintenance bottlenecks still loom, particularly on popular narrow‑body types, which can lead to last‑minute schedule changes or capacity constraints. ^[36]

What Today’s News Means If You’re Flying

For travelers planning trips during the rest of the winter and into early 2026, today’s airline news boils down to a few practical takeaways:

Expect crowds, especially around holidays.
Thanksgiving set new records, and airlines are signaling strong demand into Christmas and New Year’s. Build in extra time at the airport and pay close attention to weather forecasts — especially for Midwest and Northeast hubs. ^[37]
Check your flight status often, particularly if you’re on an Airbus A320‑family jet.
While fewer than 100 aircraft remain grounded worldwide for software or panel inspections, last‑minute aircraft swaps and schedule tweaks are still possible as carriers complete the final wave of fixes. ^[38]
Take advantage of Travel Tuesday if you can commit now.
Deep discounts from Spirit (up to 60% off base fares), Alaska/Hawaiian BOGO offers, and American’s fare and mileage sales all expire by the end of the day on December 2. These can be good value for flexible winter and early‑spring trips — especially mid‑week itineraries. ^[39]
Watch for continuing operational tweaks as airlines digest the shutdown’s impact.
The federal shutdown is over and the FAA has ended mandated flight cuts, but airlines are still normalizing staffing, schedules and finances. JetBlue’s small capacity reduction is one concrete example of how those 43 days will echo into 2026. ^[40]
Distribution and retail changes may affect how you shop.
Deals and bundles may increasingly appear first through certain channels (airline apps, preferred travel agencies) as carriers like United push deeper into modern NDC retailing with partners such as Travelport. ^[41]

Taken together, the first two days of December 2025 show a U.S. airline industry that is busy, resilient, but still fragile— juggling record demand, infrastructure stress and technology surprises, even as it courts customers with aggressive sales and shiny new aircraft.

Airbus flights disrupted for urgent software update | BBC News