The US Travel Association said the country must update its airports and visa system or risk endangering a "golden age" of travel spurred by major sporting events.
A new report, A Vision for a World-Class Travel System in America, predicts “Thanksgiving-like travel extremes” at US airports for 50 days next year, doubling to 100 days in 2028 due to sporting events.
It says the country’s current air travel system is “not built” to handle surges of travellers.
Next year sees the World Cup straddling the date of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on 4 July. The US also hosts golf’s Ryder Cup in September.
Another peak will come when the US holds the Olympic and Paralympic Games in July 2028 in Los Angeles, served by an airport – LAX – notorious for congestion at peak times.
The association says the “outdated air travel system will strain under the pressure”, and is urging action to avoid “massive entry delays, overwhelmed TSA checkpoints and frustrated travellers”.
The association’s president Geoff Freeman said: “The next several years will bring unprecedented travel demand that our systems are not prepared to handle.
"Washington has a small window to fix major travel pain points and unlock a $100 billion economic opportunity — but it will require a level of urgency that has been missing in recent years.”
The association called on president Donald Trump to set up a task force “to take advantage of global events coming our way over the next four years”.
It said Trump had already promised to process visas “efficiently and securely” for the 2026 World Cup but added more staff were needed to enable visa processing inside 30 days, while more countries needed to be included in the Visa Waiver Programme.
Other recommendations include “a historic investment” in security technology “to ensure that within five years all travellers can pack larger liquids in carry-ons, keep electronics and IDs in their bags and keep their shoes, jackets and belts on”.
“This is the moment to deliver the world-class travel system Americans deserve and the world expects,” Freeman added.
