SACRAMENTO, Calif. — About 3.4 million people are expected to fly to their destinations this Memorial Day weekend; 11% more than last year, according to AAA.
“We are expecting to see travel numbers this week [starting] today that will equal pre-pandemic numbers and we're expecting about 100,000 people coming through the airport,” said Scott Johnston, the Senior Public Information Manager at Sacramento International Airport.
AAA says this could be the busiest Memorial Day weekend at U.S. airports since 2005. People ABC10 spoke with say they are flying early in hopes of beating the largest crowds.
“I want to avoid the excessive amount of people,” said Jazzie Garcia.
As summer inches closer, ticket prices are going up and so is the demand for flights.
“What I was paying last year, like $380 a flight... I’m paying up to $750. It’s considerably more,” said Edward Hurley.
Experts say the best thing travelers can do is make a plan before coming to the airport.
“The main thing that we like to put out to our customers is if you can find an alternate way to get to the airport that doesn't involve driving yourself, we would encourage that,” said Johnston.
He says with 20,000 travelers expected to fly in and out of Sacramento per day over the holiday weekend, parking might be a challenge.
“Our parking garage actually has been filling up every day but Monday for about the past month,” he said. “So any way you can find to get to the airport without having to drive your own car, it's just going to relieve a lot more stress on yourself and really help us out as well.”
Another time-saving step travelers can consider? Signing up for Clear or TSA PreCheck.
Airport officials say the top destinations for people flying out of Sacramento are Southern California, Seattle, Las Vegas, Mexico and Hawaii.
Watch more on ABC10: Memorial Day Weekend Forecast for Northern California
