Abandoned rental cars slid down the street outside Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Monday morning and passengers waited in a security line that arrived in front of the terminal building and on the sidewalk.
Some travelers waited for hours in security lines, missed flights or had to change planes 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 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 has become more frequent as the airport has become crowded with more scheduled flights. The Fuel Shortage Alert calls for flights to arrive with more fuel than usual when fuel is unavailable at ABIA.
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Airport officials said in a statement that ABIA Airport regularly sees large numbers of passengers, especially before 8 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays. Federal Transportation Security Administration personnel carried nearly 9,000 passengers before 8 a.m. Sunday27th of March And about 8,250 before this time on Monday.
“These volumes reflect the thousands of Austin visitors who travel home after attending events,” including the Texas Relays, World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play and NASCAR racing at the Circuit of the Americas, states in 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 like TSA to fill vacancies.”
Sandy Moses, who lives about 20 minutes from the airport, said she didn’t even pay attention to the security line when she saw it outside the building on Monday morning. She arrived at 6am, about 90 minutes before her flight to Las Vegas for a business conference. When she spoke to a security guard, she said, she was told it was impossible to make her flight.
“The line was coiled from one end of the airport to the other,” she said. “It wasn’t just a bunch of people hanging around the automatic doors. You had to walk to one end of the airport to get on any of these lines. I wouldn’t have done that even if I had reached two hours earlier.”
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Musa said she was frustrated that the airport hadn’t told passengers on social media in advance when to arrive early for flights because of the unusual size of people. She said she was still considering whether to take another flight later Monday or cancel the flight altogether.
Patricia Mancha, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman for southwestern states, including Texas, said the Austin airport saw 15,000 visitors a day this weekend compared to the usual itinerary. She cited sporting events in the area as well as airlines adding flights outside of Austin to their schedules as factors.
Mancha said Austin TSA prepared for the weekend by hiring additional staff and authorizing overtime. Mancha also said Austin isn’t alone in increasing 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 line was due to a somewhat erratic situation. What happened was that one of the rental cars pulled up at the drop-off,” airport officials said in a statement. “Car rental staff instructed customers to drive on and leave the car with the keys inside. This prompted other passengers renting their cars to follow suit and leave their rental cars on the sidewalk. When this was brought to the attention of airport staff, we contacted the car rental company and asked for additional staff to be sent to collect the vehicles from the pier.”
Kelly Nagel, who was in Austin for a wedding over the weekend, said she was one of those who left her rental car and keys in the front seat for her ride after waiting in line for 30 minutes Monday morning to get her return the car.
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Nagel said she was able to get through much of the security line because she had a TSA PreCheck and was able to begin her journey home to Pennsylvania. She said she received a call from the rental company during her stay saying the car had been returned safely.
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. She said people should plan to arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.
“If people bring forbidden things to the checkpoint, they slow down the line,” she said. “TSA, the airport, the airlines, we all work together to get people to their final destination. So it’s really important for people to be patient. Our people are really trying to help you get through.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American Statesman: What’s happening at Austin Airport? Long queues, abandoned car rental companies
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