Austin Airport expects more busy days ahead

Staff Reports

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) expects more busy days ahead for airline passengers. Tomorrow through Monday, the airport expects an estimated 28,000 passengers will fly in and out of the airport each day and expects these trends to continue regularly on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays. The busiest time is early in the morning, before 8 a.m.

While these daily passenger numbers do not exceed the single busiest day of 35,298 departing passengers set in October 2021, this steady passenger numbers show AUS has recovered from pandemic passenger traffic losses.

These travel trends are expected to last through the summer because of more flights to nonstop destinations and more available airline seats. AUS anticipates setting a new passenger record this year, 20 million, breaking the 17.3 million passenger record set in 2019. 

This week, airport leadership met with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to address passenger wait times and continues to partner with TSA to improve passenger flow and TSA staffing levels.

Airport leadership has also met with the Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC) operator and has requested an after-action report to thoroughly understand the cause of Monday morning’s traffic back-up and to identify solutions to prevent it from reoccurring.

The jet fuel shortage alert issued for airlines on Monday has been lifted and normal fueling operations resumed on Wednesday afternoon. AUS airlines did not experience any canceled, diverted, or delayed flights due to this alert. Airlines are no longer being requested to fly in with extra fuel now that the on-site storage has reached a 2 day supply. However, most airports average a 5–7-day fuel supply. 

Passenger Travel Tips

To help manage expectations and prepare passengers for a busier than ever AUS, the airport recommends that travelers only bringing carry-on luggage arrive at least two hours before their boarding time for domestic flights and three hours before their boarding time for international flights. Travelers checking luggage, traveling with small children or in a large group, and those flying out of AUS for the first time in a while, should give themselves extra time in addition to the 2- and 3-hour recommendation to make it to their gate on time.

Flight Check-In Tips

Travelers without checked luggage can skip the airline ticket counters and head immediately to security screening checkpoints using these time-saving flight check-in options:

• Use the lower curbside and upper curbside for drop-off — from the lower level, passengers can quickly get upstairs to ticketing and security via escalators and elevators.
• Self-service flight check-in kiosks that allow travelers to print their boarding passes and bag tags are available inside the terminal, across from the airline ticket counters.
• In addition to traditional check-in procedures, select airlines offer outside curbside check-in.
• Travelers can also save time by checking in for their flight using their airlines’ mobile app and a mobile boarding pass.

TSA Screening and Packing Tips

Staffing at security screening checkpoints is the responsibility of the TSA. Checkpoints open at 3:30 a.m. with TSA PreCheck and Clear screening available at Checkpoints 1 and 2 West. In addition, a new security checkpoint near Southwest ticketing, Checkpoint 2 East, will be open during peak travel periods for all passengers going through general screening. All checkpoints lead to all gates and airlines in the Barbara Jordan Terminal.

For more information about what can and cannot be brought through TSA security, visit TSA.gov.

Health & Safety Tips

The TSA’s face mask requirement for individuals across all transportation networks throughout the United States, including airports, has been extended through April 18, 2022. Passengers who do not comply with this mask requirement may be denied entry or boarding and could face civil penalties.  

Parking & Passenger Drop-Off Tips

An increase in passengers means more vehicles are dropping off and picking up passengers. Drivers and passengers are encouraged to “switch,” using whichever level has the least congestion. Drop off for departures on either the upper or lower level. Passengers can quickly get upstairs to ticketing and security using escalators and elevators from the lower arrivals level. If the lower level is congested, arriving passengers can use escalators and elevators to be picked up on the upper level.

Travelers looking to park onsite can visit ABIAParking.com to reserve a parking space and check for real-time parking availability before arriving at the airport.

For arriving passengers getting picked up by Uber, Lyft, Wingz, or other rideshares, a tram service is available on the first floor of the Red garage to take passengers from the terminal to the rideshare pick-up area located on the ground floor underneath the rental car facility.

Information for Allegiant and Frontier Travelers

Travelers flying with Allegiant and Frontier will depart from The South Terminal. All other airlines operate out of the main Barbara Jordan Terminal. The two terminals are not connected and must be accessed separately. The South Terminal is located at 10000 Logistics Lane, near US 183 and Burleson Road. If dropped off at the Barbara Jordan Terminal, passengers can use a shuttle bus, which picks up from the curb-side departure level, to get to the South Terminal.