With the summer traveling season officially underway, the Springfield-Branson National Airport has some advice for flyers: get there at least two hours before your scheduled departure.
The airline lobbying organization, Airlines for America, expects more than 257,000,000 passengers will travel on U.S. airlines between June 1st and the end of August.
An airport spokesman says parking lots at SGF are near capacity, so it often takes longer to find a parking spot than it used to.
Also, wait times have increased substantially, especially at the security check point and airline ticket counters.
In addition to getting to the airport at least two hours before your flight, other ways to speed up your experience include having your identification out and ready to show screening personnel, taking all food out of your carry-on bags and placing it in the conveyor bins, and placing all electronic items in the conveyor bins.
Of course, unless you have to check a bag, you’ll save time by checking into your flight on your airline’s website or mobile phone app.
The airport says you should also consider avoiding flying from Springfield during very busy times, including between 5:30 and 7:00 a.m. and between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
The busiest days of the week are Wednesday and Saturday.
