“We arrived about two and a half to three hours earlier than our flight just to be safe,” Michael Siler said.
DALLAS, Texas — DFW Airport is ready for this year’s Christmas holiday travel rush after making serious changes to avoid what happened during the Thanksgiving travel season, when thousands of airport visitors got stuck for hours in a huge traffic gridlock.
On Dec. 1, drivers experienced what the airport described as the “highest volume of vehicles in DFW’s 50-year history.” Travelers shared videos on social media of traffic jams that left many frustrated.
This Friday, the airport is already bustling as 4.7 million passengers are expected between December 20 and January 7. DFW is one of the busiest airports in the country attracting frequent flyers like Emily Hanish. She flew into DFW with her family pet and waited outside for her sister who she will spend Christmas with this year. The crowds at DFW surprised her this time.
“Tons of people,” Hanish said. “This is the busiest I have ever seen at Dallas Airport. The busiest I’ve seen is the San Francisco Airport.”
To ease congestion, DFW Airport is stepping up efforts, such as deploying extra patrol officers, adding signage to improve traffic flow and pausing road construction during peak travel periods.
Airport officials urge travelers to plan, like Michael Siler, who avoided delays by arriving early.
“We arrived about two-and-a-half to three hours earlier than our flight just to be safe,” Siler said, “It doesn’t appear to be too bad.”
The airport is determined to prevent a repeat of the Thanksgiving traffic jam and is prepared for what they call the busiest day of the season, the Friday before Christmas. Some passengers experienced the crowds right away.
“It’s crowded, boarding takes a long time, and there are a lot of standbys,” said M.K. Evans.
For some, like Hanish, the busy travel season gives travelers second thoughts about when to make plans to fly next holiday season.
“I will not be traveling on the Friday before Christmas ever again,” Hanish said.
Airport officials recommend travelers use parking and check-in services ahead of time and consider alternative transportation to avoid delays. But more importantly, arrive at the airport with plenty of time to expect the unexpected.