From many years of observing West Coasters struggle with whether to try to get home and back for Thanksgiving, I've seen it go a lot of ways. It can be done, but it's a tight turn. Mids usually come back exhausted from the time zone whiplash but still appreciative of the time, however short, at home. For plebes especially, just wearing their favorite jeans and swapping stories with HS friends is enjoyable.
Usually (always caveated at a SA, just because something's been done one way for a while, doesn't mean it's written in stone), Wednesday classes prior Thanksgiving start early in the AM so they can be wrapped up by noon. That makes 3 pm flights doable out of BWI. BWI, as are most major airport hubs, is an absolute zoo on that Wednesday.
On the Sunday return, much depends on whether it's a 6 pm, 8 pm, 10 pm or "x" pm return time. Mid Regs used to require that the flight be scheduled to land 2 hours before report time, but I haven't looked that up recently. That gave the traveler some fudge time in case of delays. The return times shift around from year to year, because all it takes is one goat rope of an all-night head count where they can't get a solid muster number, and the return time shifts to the earlier hour again.
If there is an act of God such as weather which legitimately delays the return, the midshipmen will be covered, as long as he or she has followed current regulations about the original scheduling of the flight. It's asking for trouble to book a 5 pm landing time for a 6 pm return time. We had one sponsor plebe a few years back who landed at Dulles at 4, had to be back at USNA at 6. My husband, retired fighter pilot extraordinaire, delivered him to Bancroft with about 2 minutes to spare until muster time. For those of you who know the challenges of driving Dulles - Metro DC Beltway - US 50 to Annapolis, on the Sunday of a Thanksgiving weekend, can appreciate the feat. BWI, BWI, BWI, no matter how cheap a deal you can get into Dulles or Reagan National.
Some of our mid sponsor families from the West Coast have done things like joined East Coast family for the holiday, maximizing the break time for the midshipman. We've had a couple of families meet at BWI, take the train from BWI to NYC, and do the town, taking advantage of the USO military discounts the mids can score.
And we usually have 4-5 sponsor sons/daughters and other mid orphans at the table, which is always a pleasure for our family. We let them drive the cars around Annapolis, very exciting for the plebes and completely legit when in leave (not liberty) status.
Let the plebes settle in, find out what the score is for this year, and make the decision.
I'll be there on I-day too 
