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Busy holiday travel weekend at Austin airport
Millions of travelers are making their way back home after Thanksgiving. If you're flying out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, be prepared for plenty of company.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is expecting a record-breaking 22 million passengers this year, with nearly a million more travelers flying this year compared to last year.
The holiday crowds are expected from Friday, Nov. 17 through Monday, Nov. 27.
"Just that airplane alone, it was the fullest flight that we had out of this weekend, and it felt like it was overflowing, it was like overwhelming," said traveler Ava Lacy.
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Austin airport busy day before Thanksgiving
With an estimated 34,000 people flying out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the day before Thanksgiving was a busy day for everyone. The on-site parking is already full.
As crowds of passengers make their way to their flights, the airport suggests arriving two-and-a-half hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights to get through TSA screening and make your flight on time.
"We did two-and-a-half every location we went," said traveler Aaron Lacy. "It worked out well. The timing was good, we were pushing it a little close because of the TSA when we were departing Seattle."
"TSA here was great, here in Austin, it was some of the connecting cities that weren’t as great," Aaron Lacy said.
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It's also recommended by ABIA to check parking availability before arriving, and if departure lines are long for those getting dropped off, use the arrivals for a quicker drop off.
"We flew out at 5:00 in the morning, so getting somewhere at 2:30 or 3:00 there is not much traffic, so we didn’t have to worry about traffic too much," Aaron Lacy said.
Aaron Lacy said that although traffic was not a factor for him, he does recommend packing your patience.
"We are excited to get in the car, which is not usually the case," Aaron Lacy said.