It was one very busy day down at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport - and still, one very busy day to go.
ABIA tells CBS 42 Tuesday was the busiest day so far this Christmas season, but don't think you'll get a break if you're headed to the airport on December 24. Tens of thousands more folks will pass through ABIA Wednesday.
About half the flights at ABIA were delayed Tuesday, a couple by more than 5 hours. And it turns out, they're the lucky ones.
"When I got here my flight was delayed by about an hour," Dana Donalson said. "And by the time I waited an hour to get my bag checked, they wouldn't take it, because the flight's not going out today."
Donalson was headed to the Valley. Now she's headed back to her house, until tomorrow.
"It's just a matter of waiting in the lines again to get my bags checked and that kind of thing, [which] I'm not looking forward to," Donalson said. "I'll wear flats tomorrow."
No matter what you wear when you come - just come at least 90 minutes early. That should give you plenty of time to park, too, even though the airport says lots B, C, D, E, and F are all full.
If all economy parking fills, the airport will open its overflow lot. No matter how busy it gets, ABIA says it will find you a space.
"Things started to pick up Friday," said Jason Zielinski with ABIA. "We expect it to stay pretty steady through Wednesday, then fall off and pick back up again Sunday, with everybody returning home."
The busiest time tends to be the morning, so expect lines.
Even though Dana Donalson has to fight the crowds again Wednesday, there's a silver lining to her flight cancellation.
On Wednesday, "I have the nonstop, thankfully," she said. "So it will just be a straight shot, an hour to get home."
Keep in mind, you can figure out where to park at ABIA before you even leave your house. Travelers can call the airport's parking hotline at 512-530-3300 to find out what's available, or check ABIA's online parking map. Click on our related link and follow the link that reads “Parking Map” on ABIA’s web site.
If you're picking up friends or family at ABIA, the airport offers free 30 minute garage parking, and cell phones work inside the garage.
