ROANOKE, Virginia – The July 4 travel rush is beginning, and officials at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport said they are preparing for potentially record numbers.
A few days ago, the TSA reported one of the busiest days on record.
“I think we’re going to revisit that,” said Alexa Briehl, manager of public relations, marketing and media at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. “We’ll have a full staff here. The airlines and TSA are managing their own staffing, but they’re prepared.”
Passengers told 10 News on Monday they were traveling all over the country.
“We’re really excited,” said one traveler on his way to Florida. “We want to go see the dolphins and go scuba diving.”
“It’s my wife’s birthday, she’s going to be 40, and that’s why I’m taking her to Las Vegas,” said another passenger.
The airport is asking passengers to double-check the items they are carrying at this time of year.
“Last year, someone went through the checkpoint on the Fourth of July here in Roanoke,” Briehl said. “You can’t carry fireworks. You can’t put them in your checked baggage.”
The TSA estimates it will screen about 32 million passengers this week, a sharp increase over the past five years.
“Since the pandemic ended, leisure has been booming,” Briehl said. “Our main target audience is leisure travelers. I think people have been saving up their trips.”
The roads will be just as busy. AAA predicts that a record 60.6 million people will travel by car during the week of Independence Day, an increase of nearly 5 percent over last year.
“I don’t have many days off, so I’m more than excited,” one driver said.
Experts recommend planning ahead and allowing plenty of time to get to your destination this week.
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