 |
|
|
|||||
The Thanksgiving travel period is in full swing. Today is the last day before Thanksgiving, which means millions of Americans will be taking to the skies to reach their holiday destinations. And myriad more will also be traveling to airports to pick up their incoming loved ones. But on one of the busiest travel days of the year, flight delays and cancellations are inevitable. Here are some tools to track delays, along with information on which airports are currently experiencing the worst delays and cancellations. FAA says this is the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years Earlier this week, Fast Company reported on the American Automobile Association (AAA)’s latest data, which revealed that this Thanksgiving travel period will be the busiest in six years. The AAA defines the 2025 Thanksgiving travel period as running from Tuesday, November 25, to Monday, December 1. During that time, the AAA says 81.83 million Americans will be traveling by road, air, or other means, including 6.07 million by plane. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released its own estimation, which largely concurs with the AAAs data. Last Friday, the FAA announced that this Thanksgiving travel period will be the busiest in 15 years. The agency says that more than 360,000 flights will take place during the period, shuffling travelers to and from their Thanksgiving destinations. (Its worth noting that the FAAs Thanksgiving period differs slightly from the AAAs period. The FAA says the Thanksgiving period runs from Monday, November 24, to Tuesday, December 2.) The FAA has also forecast the number of flights in the air for each day over the period, including: Monday, November 24: 48,173 Tuesday, November 25: 52,185 Wednesday, November 26: 50,130 Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving): 25,611 Friday, November 28: 41,560 Saturday, November 29: 46,288 Sunday, November 30: 51,268 Monday, December 1: 49,676 Tuesday, December 2: 47,423 The more flights scheduled, the greater the chance of delays and cancellations. This map reveals which airports currently have the most delays and cancellations Delays and cancellations happen for several reasons. According to the FAA, the top five causes of delays in the National Airspace System (NAS) include: Weather (which causes about 62.6% of all delay minutes) Volume (13.5%) Runway (8.3%) Equipment (1%) Other/Staffing (14.6%) In other words, even if it’s sunny and clear skies in the departure or arrival destinations, the sheer volume of scheduled flights, runway availability, equipment issues, and staffing issues can still cause delays. If you have to make a trip to the airport today for any reason, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on where delays are occurring, as they can not only cause flights to depart later than scheduled but also lead to increased crowds in terminals and parking lots. FlightAware.com offers an interactive map, aptly named the Misery Map, which shows the current delays at some of Americas busiest airports. As of the time of this writing, the Misery Map shows that between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, 63 flights are currently delayed and three have been canceled (keep in mind, this information is updated regularly). The Misery Map shows that the highest number of delays during that time period is at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where nine delays are currently listed. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) currently has the next-most delays, at eight. All three presently listed cancellations for the period are from flights at MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport (MSP). For the day, FlightAwares expanded data currently shows 549 delays for U.S. flights, as well as 25 cancellations. If you do need to head to the airport today, whether to catch a flight or pick someone up, the best practice is to track the relevant flights information directly in the airlines app or on its website, and to contact the airline directly if you have any concerns about delays or cancellations.
Category:
E-Commerce
Its long been the uniform of management consultants and finance bros, but now the humble quarter zip is being embraced by a rather unexpected demographic. Over the past few weeks, FYPs have become dominated by the workwear staple. Young men who previously mightve been seen exclusively in Nike Tech, have now traded them in for quarter zip sweaters. Across social media, they are sharing styling tips and hosting meetups at malls, all clad in business-casual. The trend gained widespread attention when, in early November, TikToker @whois.jason shared a video of himself sipping a matcha (the beverage of choice for the performative male) with a friend. Both are wearing quarter zip sweaters. We dont do Nike Tech, we dont do coffee. Its straight quarter zips and matchas around here, he says in the clip. We upgraded in life; we wear glasses now. Since it was posted, the clip has gained over 25 million views. No more DMs we on outlook and teams, one comment read. Another wrote: We on linkedin not instagram. The hashtag #quarterzip currently has over 55,000 posts on TikTok. Theres T-Pain in Louis Vuitton talking about 401k and a quarter zip. Rapper Central Cee hung up his customary Nike Tech fleece for a cream Ralph Lauren one. Nike techs most loyal person just switched up, one comment read on his TikTok post. The basketball video game NBA 2K account announced the addition of quarter zips to 2K26 last week, not long after the topic started trending on TikTok. Even brands are jumping on, a sure sign as any that a trend has run its course. Some say the co-option of quarter zips signals a vibe shift that goes beyond fashion. Fortune calls it a subtle signal of ambition and adaptation in a job market that feels almost insurmountably tough for many young adults today. The New York Times described the shift as an aesthetic pivot toward the expectations of the professional world. Its true, the quarter zip has long been a signal of soft professionalism. If a LinkedIn connection was an item of clothing, it would be the quarter zip (perhaps under a fleece vest to complete the uniform). Others have connected the trend to the history of Black dandyism, a cultural movement and fashion style intended to subvert racial stereotypes, inspiring last years Met Gala theme. While the lifecyle of a TikTok trend is often no more than a few days or weeks at most, retail data shows a 25% sales rise for quarter zips among 18- to 24-year-olds since mid-2024. Google Trends shows a 2,250% increase in searches for 1/4 zip pullover men’s business casual over the past 12 months. Has anyone checked in on the finance bros?
Category:
E-Commerce
In an age of high-turnover trends, ubiquitous screens, and fractured attention spans, a lengthy televised parade organized by a venerable department store sounds like a relic of a bygone era. But somehow, the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade has in recent years proved itself to be startlingly popular and relevant. In 2024, the parade drew an estimated 31.7 million viewers on NBCs broadcast and Peacock streaman all-time record, and a bigger audience than the Oscars or any entertainment broadcast. This years parade will include, along with balloons featuring legacy characters like Snoopy and Minnie Mouse, a Pop Mart float with an oversized Labubu, a Stranger Things float featuring a Demogorgon, and performances by a singing trio from KPop Demon Hunters and Wicked: For Good star Cynthia Erivo. Macys is stubbornly unforthcoming on the economics of its parade, and a spokesperson told Fast Company that it was unable to discuss and disclose financials of the event. But it certainly appears to be a bright spot for the retailer, which over the past decade has closed scores of locations and laid off thousands of workers. Various reports suggest the 2024 version cost an estimated $13 million to produce, with longtime partner NBC paying $20 million for broadcast rights. Macys and NBC announced a new 10-year deal earlier this year, and while terms were not disclosed, The Wall Street Journal reported the new proposal was on the order of $60 million for annual rights to the Thanksgiving parade, a July 4 special, and a new event thats to be determined. This reflects how valuable the parade, in particular, seems to have become for its ability to draw a mass audience, with NBC reportedly selling 30-second ad spots for $900,000. The Friendsgiving in Pop City float will be featured in the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 27. [Photo: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s] A successful, unchanged formula The parade dates back to 1924 and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1954. While Macys describes it as a gift to the nation, its one that has long since become a business in its own right. According to a report from 2019, a brand sponsoring a new balloon could expect to pay around $200,000 in construction and parade fees. But this, of course, yields a couple of minutes of on-air discussion of the brand or entertainment propertys balloon (or float or performance) from the broadcast hosts. This is how the parade has worked for decadesand maybe that essentially unchanged formula helps explain its success. By now its an iconic event, deeply embedded in pop culture via numerous appearances in movies and TV shows, and countless memories. Even if you havent watched the parade in years, you know the gist. So one theory of the events resilient popularity is that it is, like turkey and stuffing, an elevated variation on comfort food. A decade-plus ago, as many mainstream broadcast events began to see their audiences shrink, the parade held steady, in effect growing its influence simply by standing still. But in the last few years, that audience hasnt just stood still but actually begun to grow, topping earlier viewer records. The Macys spokesperson credits the talented Macys Studio team of artisans and other experts who craft the event, and certainly the proceedings are as lavish as ever. Among the character balloons set to fly high above Manhattan at this years parade are Mario of Super Mario Bros. fame, and recurring favorite Freida the Dachshund. [Photo: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s] A more interesting theory, though, is that a broadcast parade is ideal for a fractional-attention world. Theres something new every few minutes and none of it requires deep concentration. This years event includes 34 balloons, 28 floats, 28 performers, 11 marching bands, and 33 clown crews, meaning the parade is nonstop novelty. It is essentially an analog, marching scroll. In a kind of virtuous circle, the audience attracts pop culture brands, which attracts a bigger audience. A Macys executive involved in producing the parade told the Freakonomics podcast last year that the goal is to balance legacy characters against new characters, in effect addressing an all-ages audience. Even better: All the content is basically escapist and certainly apolitical, providing an endless stream of excuses to change the subject to something benign when that cranky uncle starts looking for a squabble. And while Macys may be opaque about the business details that help shape the specific contents of any given years parade, achieving that balance between contemporary relevance and timeless tradition is likely a key to attracting its audience. And sure, the whole thing is essentially an intertwined marketing eventa series of pop culture and brand promotions, under the auspices of Macys own brand. But nobody really seems to mind. Perhaps on the eve of Black Friday this is exactly what many are looking for. A Macys spokesperson calls the parade the official kickoff to the holiday season. That seems to be truer than ever.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||