Travelers head toward the south terminal security checkpoint at Denver International Airport, Monday, July 4, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—As the holiday weekend draws to a close, travelers are filling highways and airports across America.
According to AAA… Nearly 71 million people are expected to travel over the July 4th weekend.
Today was expected to be the highest number of travelers ever… With more than 3 million people potentially screened at airports across the country.
Garrison Everett was traveling from Atlanta to attend a film and broadcasting educators’ conference here in Springfield and said he encountered no obstacles along the way.
“Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be coming from Atlanta. They kind of operate like it looks scary from the outside, but the security line just kept going,” Everett said. “And then I got to my gate and I was still an hour and a half early.”
Milana Taylor-Turnbough left SGF at the weekend and had a similar experience.
“We flew out on Friday and it was quick. We had carry-on luggage so the security process was easy and yes, getting to our destination was smooth as well,” Taylor-Turnbough said.
So far, airlines have seen about 3,000 fewer cancellations than last year. Taylor-Turnbough says she’s had issues with air travel before.
“That wasn’t the case today, but we’ve seen it before, we actually flew United and there was a significant delay,” she said. “I don’t know why, but we almost missed the flight just because, uh, I guess a lot of people had issues getting new flights or their flights were delayed. So we had some issues there.”
AAA predicted that nearly 6 million people would fly to their vacation destinations and another 60 million would drive.
Although Springfields Airport is rather small, travelers recommend using your time wisely.
“Getting to the airport early. That’s the most important thing. But otherwise, not so much. I try not to stress,” Everett said.
“If you have checked bags, you should give yourself two or three hours to get here. For carry-on bags, it’s pretty easy. Even if you don’t have pre-check-in, you can go straight through security,” Taylor-Turnbough added.
