Amtrak Ready and Prepared for Thanksgiving Holiday Travel

WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the busiest travel week of the year, Amtrak is ready to help customers travel safely and comfortably to reconnect with friends and family. Customers are strongly encouraged to buy tickets in advance.

The busiest travel days are the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving.

“With more than 500 destinations nationwide, Amtrak customers can avoid traffic, and enjoy free Wi-Fi on most trains, an easy boarding process, plenty of leg room and no middle seat as they travel to celebrate the holiday,” Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said. “We want to ensure our customers feel a renewed sense of confidence when they travel with us this holiday season.”

While traveling, customers can feel confident with the following safety measures Amtrak has implemented under the guidance of a medical director and partnership with George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health: 

• Face coverings: Federal law requires all customers and employees to wear a mask at all times while onboard trains and in stations, regardless of vaccination status or state or local laws. Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law; passengers may be subject to penalties under federal law, denied boarding, removed from the train and banned from future travel in the event of noncompliance. 
• Air Quality: Customers can travel with extra confidence knowing all our trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every four to five minutes. 
• Real-time seat availability: When searching for travel, the percentage of seats sold on reserved trains displays next to each trip option and adjusts as more reservations are made, which gives customers the opportunity to book a train that is less crowded. If capacity exceeds comfort levels, customers can change their ticket without incurring a fee (a fare difference may apply). 
• Fee waivers: Amtrak is waiving all change fees for reservations made by Jan. 4, 2022. 
• Amtrak app: The Amtrak app makes contact-free travel easy. Customers can book, board, check train status and access information from the convenience and safety of a mobile device. Amtrak encourages boarding with eTickets, which conductors scan from the app.