As the Labor Day weekend approaches, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field are preparing for an unprecedented surge in travelers.
With national travel numbers hitting new highs, local airports are bracing for what could be one of their busiest periods ever.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) predicted that over 17 million passengers will pass through U.S. airports this weekend. At DFW Airport, officials expect approximately 1.4 million travelers, marking a 6.4% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Love Field expects around 200,000 passengers to pass through over the weekend, according to a recent report by CBS News Texas.
American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth, will play a big role in the surge, with plans to accommodate more than 578,000 customers across nearly 5,000 flights. This reflects an anticipated 12% increase in passenger volume compared to the same period last year.
Friday is expected to be the peak travel day, with TSA forecasting that 2.86 million people will board flights nationwide. This record-breaking traffic reflects a summer of high air travel volumes, with TSA reporting a total of 239.8 million travelers screened since Memorial Day. On July 7, the TSA set a new record by screening over 3 million passengers in a single day, reported CBS.
Both DFW Airport and Love Field have advised passengers to arrive at least two hours prior to their departure time to navigate potential delays smoothly. Despite lines being manageable early Thursday morning, airport officials expect congestion to increase as the weekend progresses.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, earlier this year, Dubai International Airport passed DFW Airport the second busiest airport globally. According to preliminary 2023 passenger traffic data, DFW Airport is now ranked the third busiest airport in the world.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is currently ranked first as the busiest airport.
Heath Montgomery, the vice president of communications and marketing at DFW Airport, said that if the current growth in travel demand persists, DFW Airport alone might eventually exceed 100 million passengers annually.