Last verified: November 5, 2026. Rates and notices were read on official airport pages that day; occupancy readings carry the time each board was read. TSA had not published a Thanksgiving 2026 forecast as of that date.
Short answer: Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the heavy travel window runs roughly Tuesday, November 24 to Monday, November 30. Book airport parking now if your airport takes reservations. Some airports change prices for the holiday: Durango (DRO) raises its daily maximum from $10 to $15 for November 23 to December 2, Colorado Springs (COS) cuts Long-Term and Overflow from $8 to $6 for November 25 to 29, and Sacramento (SMF) raises rates when its new Garage 2 opens, which the airport has said will be November 19. Several garages were already full on an ordinary Thursday in early November: the Jacksonville (JAX) Daily Garage read 100% "Lot Full" and Dulles (IAD) Garage 1 had 91 of 4,508 spaces open when we checked on November 5.
TSA has not published a 2026 Thanksgiving forecast as of November 5, 2026. It usually releases one in the week before the holiday. Until then, the best guide is the pattern from past years:
If 2026 follows the same pattern, the days to plan around are Tuesday, November 24, Wednesday, November 25 and Sunday, November 29. That is a pattern, not a forecast. Parking garages fill from the outbound side, so the Tuesday and Wednesday departures are when drive-up spaces are most likely to run out.
These are the official holiday rate changes and new rates we found on airport pages. Most large airports had not posted a Thanksgiving-specific rate change as of November 5.
| Airport | What changes | Dates | Cost (source) | Worked example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durango (DRO) | Peak holiday daily maximum | Nov. 23 to Dec. 2, 2026 and Dec. 23, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027 | $15 per 24 hours, up from $10 (flydurango.com; airport alert) | 7 days x $15 = $105, versus 7 x $10 = $70 at the normal rate |
| Colorado Springs (COS) | Holiday discount on Long-Term and Overflow lots | Nov. 25 to 29, 2026 and Dec. 21 to 27, 2026 | $6 per day, down from $8; no coupon; Short-Term and Valet excluded (City of Colorado Springs alert) | 5 days x $6 = $30, versus 5 x $8 = $40 |
| Sacramento (SMF) | Rates rise when Garage 2 opens | Garage 2 opening Nov. 19, per the airport (Sacramento Bee) | Garage $21 to $28, Daily Lot $14 to $19, Economy $12 to $14 (SMF rate notice) | Garage, 6 days: 6 x $28 = $168, versus 6 x $21 = $126 before the change |
| San Antonio (SAT) | New daily rates | Effective Nov. 1, 2026 | Economy $10, Long Term $20, Short Term $30, Valet $37 per day (flysanantonio.com banner) | Economy, 6 days: 6 x $10 = $60; Long Term: 6 x $20 = $120 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) | Holiday prebook sale | Entries before Jan. 2, 2027 | 15% off stays of 5+ days booked at least 7 days before entry (mspairport.com); Quick Ride Ramp drive-up maximum is $19 per day, tax excluded (mspairport.com) | Discount applies to the prebook price, which the airport sets by lot, dates and demand; the prebook price itself is not published |
A note on San Antonio: the airport's homepage states the November 1 rates above. ParkingAccess's own rate index withholds an SAT figure because the airport's FAQ and its parking site have shown different numbers, so check the rate at the gate.
No holiday change was posted on these official pages as of November 5. Rates are the published daily maximum or flat daily rate for the lowest-cost public lot listed.
| Airport | Lot | Daily rate (source) | 6 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore (BWI) | Express Parking / Daily Garage | $14 / $16 per day (bwiairport.com) | $84 / $96 |
| Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) | Remote | $14 with TollTag, $16 by card at exit, 6 to 24 hours (dfwairport.com) | $84 / $96 |
| Detroit (DTW) | Green Lot | $20 flat per 24 hours, plus a 2.65% card processing fee (metroairport.com) | $120, plus $3.18 fee = $123.18 |
| New Orleans (MSY) | Economy | $12 maximum daily rate (flymsy.com) | $72 |
| Phoenix (PHX) | East Economy Lot (uncovered) | $16 daily maximum (skyharbor.com) | $96 |
| Portland (PDX) | Economy | $15 per day, 7th day free (flypdx.com) | $90 (a 7-day stay is also $90) |
| Raleigh-Durham (RDU) | ParkRDU Economy | $14.50 drive-up daily maximum (rdu.com) | $87 |
| St. Louis (STL) | Lot D | $11 per 24 hours (flystl.com) | $66 |
Taxes and fees vary by airport. Where a page did not say whether tax is included, we have not added any.
These are live boards on official airport sites, read on a Thursday three weeks before the holiday. A garage that is full on an ordinary weekday is a garage to avoid as a drive-up plan during Thanksgiving week.
| Airport | Facility | Reading | Time read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville (JAX) | Daily Garage | 100%, "Lot Full" (flyjacksonville.com) | Board stamp 12:03 p.m. ET |
| Jacksonville (JAX) | Daily Surface Lot / Hourly Garage / Economy | 97% "Lot Full" / 91% "Lot Almost Full" / 68% (flyjacksonville.com) | Board stamp 12:03 p.m. ET |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | Garage 1 | 91 of 4,508 spaces available, about 98% full (flydulles.com) | Read 12:03 p.m. ET |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | Terminal Lot / Garage 2 / Economy | 242 of 1,852 / 1,026 of 3,727 / 3,626 of 11,431 available (flydulles.com) | Read 12:03 p.m. ET |
| Raleigh-Durham (RDU) | ParkRDU Central and ParkRDU Premier | Both "Full, No spots available"; Economy 3 had 5,478 open (rdu.com) | Board stamp 10:56 a.m. ET |
| New Orleans (MSY) | Short Term | "FULL"; Surface Lot 27 spaces (flymsy.com) | Read 11:07 a.m. CT; board shows no timestamp |
| Portland (PDX) | Long-Term / Short-Term / Economy | 87% / 77% / 55% full (flypdx.com) | Read 9:06 a.m. PT |
| Baltimore (BWI) | Hourly Garage / Daily Garage / Express | 949 of 4,950 / 3,992 of 8,400 / 568 of 1,400 available (bwiairport.com) | Read 12:06 p.m. ET |
Book as soon as your dates are set. At MSP the holiday discount needs at least seven days' notice, so a November 24 entry must be booked by November 17. Airports such as IAH, HOU and CLT only guarantee space to people with reservations once garages get busy.
Not as of November 5, 2026. In 2025, TSA released its forecast on November 21, five days before Thanksgiving.
In past years TSA has named the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after as the busiest. The Sunday after Thanksgiving 2025 set TSA's single-day record of 3,133,924 people screened, as reported from TSA's statement.
Most large airports keep the same posted rates. Durango (DRO) is one that publishes a holiday rate: $15 instead of $10 per 24 hours from November 23 to December 2. Colorado Springs (COS) goes the other way with a $6 holiday rate on Long-Term and Overflow. Prebook prices at airports like MSP vary with demand, so they can rise as lots fill.
It depends on the airport. CLT, IAD and San Diego honor reservations after drive-up spaces fill. Boston says staff will direct you to another on-airport garage. SMF says you must choose another lot and pay that lot's rate.
Yes, at airports where ParkingAccess lists lots. Off-airport prices and shuttle details are set by each lot and shown with your dates at booking; they are not part of the official rates on this page.
Compare off-airport lots with shuttle service for your dates:
For official daily rates at more airports, see the ParkingAccess airport parking rate index.
Disclosure: ParkingAccess may earn a commission if you book parking through links on this page. It does not change the official prices shown.
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