Brace for busy holiday travel period
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Passengers wait to pass through security at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
A year after bad weather and Southwest's winter meltdown caused nearly two hundred flight cancellations here alone, Austin airport officials are expecting a smoother holiday travel season.
What's happening: Even so, brace yourself for busy airports and highways across the country during the Christmas and New Year's holiday travel period, according to new AAA projections.
Zoom in: Austin airport officials are encouraging travelers to arrive early.
- TSA predicts a 1% growth in holiday travel in Austin this year compared to 2022, according to airport spokesperson Sam Haynes.
- Roughly 33,000 passengers are expected Wednesday, Haynes added, and the busiest travel days are typically the Thursday and Friday before a holiday.
What they're saying: December is actually a slower month for the airport because travelers are more spread out throughout the month rather than on a single day, Haynes tells Axios.
- "There are far less people traveling in December than in the summertime," Haynes says. "We don't see a singular crazy busy day."
- The difference is the "passenger profile" in December, when the airport sees an increase in passengers less familiar with airport travel like different age groups, small children in strollers and multi-generational families who need more time.
Between the lines: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has boomed right along with the city. Airport officials expect a record-breaking 22 million passengers this year, which would be 1 million more than in 2022.
Yes, but: It's been a rocky year for the airport.
- At least two people working at the airport died in on-the-job accidents, air traffic control issues led to several potentially catastrophic near-collisions between jets, the airport director resigned, and the city was forced into an embarrassing settlement after forcing out the operator of the South Terminal.
Meanwhile: AAA said in its holiday forecast Monday that it projects 115.2 million travelers will hit the road or take flight during the 10-day holiday travel period that begins Dec. 23.
- That's a 2.2% increase over last year, or 2.5 million more travelers, AAA projects.
The bottom line: The airport could use a soft landing.