Airports in North Texas gear for busy spring break travel
Airports across North Texas are gearing up for large crowds for the busy spring break travel season. DFW airport officials say they're expecting to welcome a record 4.6 million travelers this spring break.
But some travelers heading to popular spring break spots faced cancellations Saturday.
"We're going to Tampa for spring break," said Beth who didn't give her last name. "We're super excited to be in the warm weather."
According to AAA Texas, they're not alone. Florida tops the list of spring break destinations for Texans this year.
"We're going to Disney world in Florida for spring break," Lindsey Dixon said.
But Southwest Airlines says thunderstorms in the southeast impacted flights headed to the sunshine state today. The airline says about 160 flights were canceled after air traffic control restricted flights due to the storms.
"So far so good, but he said we could be delayed because of weather in Florida," said Beth. "Fingers crossed that nothing changes."
DFW airport is asking travelers to plan ahead for parking and arrival times especially on peak travel days of the spring break season including: Friday, March 15, Sunday, March 17, and Friday, March 22.
The airport is expecting about 250,000 travelers to pass through its doors each of those days.
The Murray family is heading home to Chicago for spring break. Their flight was delayed for a few hours but they're rolling with the changes.
"Just prepare ahead of time, try to travel with one bag," said Timeko Murray.
AAA Texas also says international spring break trips are up from last year. International flight bookings for March and April, according to AAA data, is up about 20 percent.
Travel experts say one of the best ways to get prepared for the busy spring break holiday season is to download your airline's app ahead of time so you can stay up to date on delays or cancellations before you get to the airport.