- November 23, 2021

Listen Up, Austin! You Need These Holiday Travel Tips

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The city of Austin wants to make sure your holiday travel goes as smoothly as possible. That’s why they released some tips to help you be prepared before you head to the airport. AUS is advising travelers to expect a significantly busier than usual terminal experience. This applies throughout the entire holiday travel period, from Friday, November 19 through Monday, November 29.

Holiday Travel Tips You Need To Know

Know Before You Go

Travelers who may not have flown in a while, particularly families traveling with children should familiarize themselves with some of the changes that have taken place at AUS due to COVID-19. 

Inside both terminals, face masks are required for travelers over the age of two, as the TSA has extended the face mask requirement for individuals across all transportation networks throughout the United States, including at airports, through January 18, 2022. 

Passengers needing wheelchair assistance should contact their airlines directly prior to arriving at the airport to arrange for wheelchair service at the terminal.

For those packing any holiday goodies, including leftovers on the way back home, TSA rules regarding liquids still do apply, so any food items that could be considered liquid, such as gravy or cranberry sauce should be securely packed in checked luggage. Additionally, firearms are prohibited at passenger screening checkpoints and in any carry-on luggage and possession of them may result in arrest. For a comprehensive list of banned and permitted items in carry-on baggage, visit the TSA’s website at TSA.gov

Allow Enough Time

Allow for plenty of time for parking, returning a rental car, checking luggage, obtaining a boarding pass and passing through security, particularly in the morning hours for those traveling before 9 a.m. 

The Transportation Security Administration advises that travelers should arrive at least three hours early for all flights, including those with TSA PreCheck and Clear. Security screening checkpoints open at 3:30 a.m. with TSA PreCheck and Clear screening available at Checkpoints 1 and 2. 

Parking and Other Tips

Travelers looking to park onsite should plan ahead as parking options are expected to quickly fill up. Limited reservations for the Blue Garage and Red Garage are available online. If reservations are sold out, drive up options may be available. Travelers should visit ABIAParking.com to reserve a space and to check for real-time parking availability prior to arriving to the airport.

If travelers are getting dropped off in the morning, they can use both the upper and lower curbsides to help ease traffic –  from the lower level, passengers can quickly get upstairs to ticket and security via escalators and elevators. 

A reminder that all Allegiant and Frontier flights operate at the South Terminal and their passengers should park at the South Terminal. All other airlines operate from the airport’s main Barbara Jordan Terminal located off of SH 71. The South Terminal is a separate facility accessed from Burleson Road, between US 183 South and FM 973. 

For more useful information for travelers, visit the AUS website’s Travel Tips section.

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