Expecting a busy July 4 weekend, Austin airport warns travelers to arrive early

With a busy July Fourth holiday travel weekend expected, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport leaders are repeating their recommendation that passengers should arrive 2½ hours before domestic flights.

Austin-Bergstrom expects more than 30,000 passengers to fly each day this weekend, airport spokesperson Sam Haynes said, and anything over 27,000 people in a day is considered a busy day. Friday and Monday are likely to be the busiest days, but Haynes said to expect high passenger volume throughout the weekend.

Nationwide, auto club AAA predicts that 47.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend.

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The Austin airport in May extended its recommendation to arrive 2½ hours before departing flights because of ongoing Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages and high volumes of expected summer travelers, Haynes said.

“We used to say Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays are the busiest days, but what we’re seeing is peak travel days are no longer really a circumstance. Every day is a busy day,” Haynes said. “We just want travelers to be prepared, and we want them to show up with plenty of time for their flight and not have to worry about the stress of rushing to their gate and maybe missing their flight by five or 10 minutes.”

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The airport also advises that passengers arrive three hours before boarding international flights and give themselves extra time to check bags or if they are traveling with young children. Haynes said the airport has not seen multihour TSA lines in recent weeks, like the lines that made headlines in the spring for stretching outside the main terminal. However, she said there have been long lines at airline ticket counters in the past few days.

Haynes also advised against passengers relying on TSA wait time estimates to plan their airport arrival times. The Austin TSA wait time page is down indefinitely for maintenance and a redesign, she said.

In addition to showing up with plenty of time to reach your gate before boarding, here are other steps passengers can take to make their airport experience as smooth as possible:

Look for flight updates from airlines

Haynes said it’s important for passengers to keep an eye out for updates from airlines regarding their flights, such as delays or flight cancellations.

“This is a tough time for travel nationally and internationally. We know our airlines are navigating a nationwide pilot shortage as well as limited crew and aircraft availability,” she said. “We know our airlines are making a lot of changes in real time to the schedule and to flights, so we're asking passengers to keep in contact with the airline and stay connected with them for the latest information about flight changes.”

Follow the rules

Patricia Mancha, spokesperson for the TSA’s Southwest region, said it’s important that people not bring prohibited items in their carry-on luggage. When illicit items are found, it delays screening for everyone, and this is especially true of firearms.

“When people bring prohibited items to the checkpoint, they slow down the line,” she said. “Every time a gun is found, the inspection process stops. The police are called; they're the ones that respond to the incident. So every time that happens, it slows down the line behind you.”

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Mancha encouraged people to check their luggage before they start packing to make sure there are no surprise items, and to look online to see what is allowed before they finish packing.

Along with slowing the screening process, firearms found at TSA checkpoints can result in fines and penalties. TSA officials have detected 16 firearms at the Austin airport's security checkpoints this year.

Travelers who need to travel with a firearm will be required to declare their weapon and check it at their airline ticket counter. For information, visit austintexas.gov/airport.

Drop off where there are fewer cars

Steer away from traffic by dropping off travelers using the upper or lower level – either one works. From the lower level, passengers can quickly get upstairs to ticketing and security using airport escalators or elevators.

Drivers are encouraged to use whichever level has the least congestion

Travelers also can find on-site parking by visiting abiaparking.com to reserve a spot and check for real-time parking information on what's available before their arrival.

Go to the right terminal (there are two)

Travelers flying with Allegiant or Frontier will depart from the South Terminal while all other airlines operate at the main Barbara Jordan Terminal. The South Terminal is located at 10000 Logistics Lane, near US 183 and Burleson Road.

If dropped off at the main terminal, passengers can use a shuttle bus, which picks up from the curbside departure level, to get to the South Terminal.

Use self-service flight check-in kiosks

Inside the terminal and across from the airline ticket counters, there are several self-service flight check-in kiosks for travelers to print their boarding passes and bag tags.

Travelers can save time by checking in for their flight using their airlines' mobile app, which will produce a digital boarding pass. Select airlines also offer curbside check-in options for those who aren't as tech-savvy.

Get TSA PreCheck

While this option takes a little advanced planning, TSA PreCheck is a great way to move through security more quickly.

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TSA security screening checkpoints open at 3:30 a.m. with TSA PreCheck and Clear screening available at Checkpoints 1 and 2 West. A new security checkpoint will be open during peak travel periods near Southwest ticketing, Checkpoint 2 East.

Be polite to other travelers and staffers

Haynes acknowledged that many have had frustrating travel experiences in recent months, in Austin and beyond. With ongoing staffing shortages and high demand, she said the airport is asking passengers to show kindness to airport and TSA staff, as well as to fellow passengers.

“Together we're all working hard to get you to your final destination safely,” she said. “The airport is busy right now, there's a lot of people, it can be a little stressful; and so if we're kind of looking at it from the approach that we're all navigating this journey together, we're hopeful that it will be a more pleasant experience for everyone.”

American-Statesman reporter Earl Hopkins contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin airport warns July 4th travelers to arrive early