Long lines of passengers were seen early Friday morning at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as travellers queued to pass through security screening ahead of a busy travel period. The line at one point stretched outside the terminal before gradually easing later in the morning, according to KXAN Austin.
Airport officials said the rush is being driven by major events in the city, including the annual South by Southwest conference, along with travellers leaving early for the spring break holiday period. Authorities estimate that around 35,000 departing passengers will pass through the airport on Friday.
Heavy Travel Rush Adds Pressure on Airport Operations
The surge in travellers comes at a time when the airport has already been dealing with construction work across parts of the facility. Officials say the combination of increased passenger numbers and ongoing upgrades has made crowd management more challenging. Airport authorities have urged travellers to reach the airport at least two and a half hours before domestic departures and three hours ahead of international flights to allow sufficient time for security checks and boarding procedures.
Concerns have also been heightened by the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government, which has affected staffing in certain agencies operating at airports. Earlier this week, long queues were reported at airports in Houston, where some travellers experienced delays of more than three hours while waiting for security checks.
Government Shutdown Affecting Airport Staffing
According to Austin-Bergstrom Deputy Chief Sam Haines, some operational challenges are linked to agencies that fall under the United States Department of Homeland Security.
“The staffing levels that are affected are going to be those organizations that fall under the Department of Homeland Security here at this airport. That’s going to be TSA and Customs and Border Protection,” Haines said. “So, on the Customs and Border Protection side, Global Entry is not available during this partial government shutdown.”
“TSA is here. They’re operating. You can see folks moving through those checkpoints, but any day has the opportunity to be a little different.”
To manage the growing number of passengers, the airport recently opened an additional security checkpoint on the west end of the terminal. The new facility currently provides standard TSA screening and does not include services such as TSA PreCheck or CLEAR.
Airport authorities expect the travel rush to continue in the coming weeks, with several days at the end of March and early April projected to see passenger numbers crossing the 30,000 mark.