Abandoned rental cars snaked down the street outside Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Monday morning, and passengers waited in a security line that stretched outside the terminal and on the sidewalk.
Some travelers waited for hours at security checkpoints, missed flights or even had to change planes over the weekend as the airport could not handle unusually high passenger volumes, caused in part by several high-profile sporting events.
Airport officials even took the step on Monday to issue a fuel shortage alert due to a lack of available fuel supplies – a measure an airport spokesman said is becoming more common as the airport fills up with more scheduled flights. A low fuel alert calls for flights to arrive with more fuel than normal if ABIA does not have fuel available for them.
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The security line at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport extends in front of the building on Sunday morning. Some travelers waited for hours at security checkpoints, missed flights and even had to make other arrangements over the weekend as the airport could not handle the unusually high passenger volume caused in part by several high-profile sporting events.
Airport officials said in a statement that ABIA regularly experiences high passenger traffic, particularly on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays before 8:00 a.m. Federal Transportation Security Administration employees carried nearly 9,000 passengers before 8 a.m. Sunday, March 27, and about 8,250 before that time Monday.
“These volumes reflect thousands of Austin visitors who travel home after attending events,” including the Texas Relays, the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and NASCAR racing at the Circuit of the Americas, according to the the explanation. “In response to strong demand for air travel, (the airport) continues to accelerate terminal improvements through the airport expansion and development program and by working with our partners, such as TSA, to fill vacancies.”
Sandy Musa, who lives about 20 minutes from the airport, said she didn’t even pay attention to the security line on Monday morning when she saw she was outside the building. She arrived at 6 a.m., about 90 minutes before her flight to Las Vegas for a work conference. When she spoke to a security guard, she said, she was told there was no way she could make her flight.
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“The line was coiled from one end of the airport to the other,” she said. “It’s not like there were just a bunch of people hanging around the automatic doors. You had to walk to one end or the other of the airport to be in one of those lines. I would never have made it even if I had been there two hours before.”
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Musa said she was frustrated that the airport hadn’t told passengers on social media in advance how early to arrive to make flights given the unusual number of people. She said she’s still considering whether to catch another flight later Monday or give up the trip altogether.
Patricia Mancha, a spokeswoman for TSA in the southwestern states, including Texas, said Austin’s airport saw 15,000 more visitors per day this weekend than normal itinerary. She cited sporting events in the area as well as airlines adding flights from Austin to their flight schedules as factors.
Mancha said TSA in Austin prepared for the weekend by hiring additional staff and authorizing overtime. Mancha also said Austin is not alone with increased travel volume. Nationwide, 2.3 million people passed through airport security on Sunday, compared to 1.57 million that day last year.
Austin Airport also had to deal with a number of abandoned rental cars Monday morning, causing additional delays for some people.
“The rental car return was due to a somewhat irregular situation. What happened was a rental car stopped at the drop-off curb,” airport officials said in a statement. “The car rental staff instructed customers to leave the vehicle with the keys. This resulted in other passengers following with rental cars and parking their rental cars at the curb. When this was brought to the attention of airport staff, we contacted the rental company to request that additional staff be dispatched…to get the vehicles off the curb.”
Kelly Nagel, who was in Austin for a wedding over the weekend, said she was one of those who left her rental car with the keys in the front seat to catch her flight after waiting in line for about 30 minutes Monday morning had to return the vehicle.
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Nagel said she can bypass much of the security line because she has TSA PreCheck and can catch her flight home to Pennsylvania. She said she received a call from the rental company during her stay saying the vehicle had been safely returned.
Mancha said the best way to expedite security is to arrive with plenty of time and not pack any prohibited items in their carry-on luggage. People should plan to arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight, she said.
“When people bring prohibited items to the checkpoint, they slow down the line,” she said. “TSA, the airport, the airlines, we’re all working together to get people to their final destination. So it’s really important that people pack their patience. Our people are really trying to help you get through it.”
A Spirit Airlines plane is unloaded at a gate at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Monday. Federal Transportation Security Administration employees carried nearly 9,000 passengers before 8 a.m. Sunday and about 8,250 before that time Monday.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What’s Happening at the Austin Airport? Long lines, abandoned rental cars