Austin-Bergstrom prepares for busy spring season amid DHS shutdown

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is preparing for a surge in travelers this month, with officials anticipating that the airport will see more than 30,000 passengers departing in a single day on several occasions.

The entire city is gearing up for crowds, as visitors flock to Austin for spring break, Rodeo Austin, St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the South by Southwest festival.

RELATED COVERAGE: TSA PreCheck still operational after previous announcement of suspension during shutdown

Big picture view:

This year, the annual hustle and bustle of Austin’s festival season is even more stressful for airport workers, as it coincides with a partial government shutdown.

Congress remains deadlocked over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA is among more than 100,000 federal employees working without pay.

Local perspective:

So far, Austin-Bergstrom has not experienced significant issues, though other airports are struggling with the uncertainty.

In Houston, Hobby Airport advised travelers to arrive four to five hours before their flights after TSA lines stretched for up to three hours Monday due to staffing shortages.

What they're saying:

FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt spoke with some travelers passing through the airport Tuesday.

"Kids are on spring break. We're here to have fun," said Christopher Mund, who was traveling from New York.

"Yeah, the airport's wild. There's lots of cool artists and fun people all coming to Austin to have fun," said Dani Miller, a traveler from Los Angeles.

"I honestly didn't know anything about that until he had told me. I was definitely worried, but I mean I got here safe, so that's all that matters," said Madison Mund, who was traveling from New York.

"I'm not nervous at all when it comes to flying back. I just want to say thank you to all of the workers. I know it's a hard time right now, but just keep praying and you'll get through it," said Jahkari Taylor, a traveler from North Virginia.

"I believe that these workers know that they have a job to do and I'm pretty sure that they're doing their job as much as they can. So I'm just really on the government to be able to do their job, as well as to be able to take care of these workers the way that they are taking care of us," said Ayomide Olafusi, a traveler from North Virginia.

"My husband traveled with my kids on Friday, and they were delayed in Chicago five hours, so we were a little worried, but everything went as planned for today," said Kimberly Thibault, who was traveling from Canada.

What you can do:

Austin-Bergstrom officials are advising passengers to arrive two and a half hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international travel.