Stress test for airlines as millions travel home after holiday weekend
Memorial Day travel will serve as another stress test for airlines, as millions of people begin their journey home from their holiday weekend vacations.
Last Memorial Day and summer left passengers across the country stranded. Airlines were understaffed and experienced record delays.
Since then, airlines have hired about 30,000 workers, and they are using bigger planes to reduce flights, but not the number of seats.
The FAA also opened up new flight paths to reduce bottlenecks in the sky.
So what can you expect traveling home today?
It seems to have been a mostly smooth weekend for travelers, with RDU only experiencing three flight delays as of this morning.
RDU says it expects more than 44,000 people to go through the airport today.
Flight cancelation rates remain below 1% this weekend.
That’s good news for passengers traveling back home.
Experts suggest getting to the airport earlier to get through TSA since it will be so busy.
Tips for smooth holiday travel
Travel experts still warn that passengers need to reset their expectations and prepare for wait times. Friday and Monday will be the busiest days at RDU, with nearly 49,000 travelers on Friday and more than 44,000 on Monday.
- Arrive early: At least 2 hours if flying domestically, and 3 hours for international flights
- Visit RDU.com before arrival to check parking
- Check TSA policies on what can come into carry-on bags
- Start packing from an empty bag (be careful of things tucked away in side pockets)
- Check your kids' bags before traveling to make sure they didn't pack prohibited items
- Download your airline’s mobile app to check in, get information about your flight and manage your reservation
- Keep an eye on the weather in your departing city and your destination
- Check your travel documents to confirm that your passport and IDs like your driver license haven’t expired
