Passenger volume record broken at Austin-Bergstrom
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is already reporting record travel numbers this holiday weekend.
AUS says Friday set a new record for the second-busiest day ever at the airport for departing passengers.
37,192 passengers departed from Austin on June 30, breaking the previous record of 36,841 travelers on the Friday before this year's SXSW festival in March.
"It seems like getting my dad to pick me up is a little bit of a hassle," traveler Lauren May said. "It seems like the arrivals gate downstairs is very clogged up, so he said try up here, and hopefully I can find him soon."
"Coming in here was pretty packed in the terminal, it took us a while," traveler Allison Vaughn said.
"It was a full flight, it was insane," Allison’s daughter, Lily Vaughn, said.
READ MORE: Record-breaking travel weekend at ABIA for Fourth of July
The airport also says this is the first time a July 4th travel date had seen numbers like this, and also the first time July 4th travel has broken a top 5 busy day record. Before now, the busiest July 4th travel date was July 1, 2022, with 33,000 departures.
"Probably because COVID is just starting to slow down and people are getting back out there," traveler Skyler Robinson said.
Many didn’t have any issues or wait times at ABIA on Sunday.
"It doesn’t seem too crazy today," traveler Madison Todack said.
As of Saturday, July 1, AUS is recommending departing passengers arrive 2.5 hours early for their domestic flights and 3 hours early for international flights to ensure they have enough time to get through security and to their gate due to the volume of passengers.
AAA predicts the highest number on record for Americans traveling by car and air over this Independence Day holiday.
Many people are road tripping. AAA projects 43.2 million people will drive over this holiday weekend.
Transportation analyst said minimal traffic is expected Monday. The best times to drive on the other day are Tuesday before 11:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday before 2:00 p.m.