TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — “It's gonna be busy. It seems like whether you're flying at Christmas time, Memorial Day or over the summer, every day has become a busy day in the travel industry," said Austin Wright, TUS Chief Communications Officer.
TSA reports over the 4-day Memorial Day Weekend, nationwide TSA screened almost 9.8M individuals at airports across the country. This is about 300,000 more people than the same holiday weekend in 2019.
The rush was felt here at home too.
“Tucson is the best city in the United States, whether it's the food, the resorts, the outdoor activities, or the locals...Tucson has it all in and our airport represents what a great community this is," said Wright.
The Tucson International Airport saw about 58,000 people during the holiday weekend:
May 25, 2023: 10,328
May 26, 2023: 10,328
May 27, 2023: 8,123
May 28, 2023: 8,613
May 29, 2023: 10,638
May 30, 2023: 10,202
Estimated numbers from TUS officials say these statistics represent a 10% increase from the same period last year. These estimated numbers also very similar to Memorial Day 2019, pre-pandemic levels in terms of passenger activity.
TUS also explains their staff is well prepared and equipped to handle the increase of passengers as summer travel begins, especially with recently new direct flights added out of Tucson.
“We had our staff ready to go to handle the higher travel volume. But, the reality is every flight in Tucson is full and we're so fortunate for that because we've got such a great local community that supports our airport," said Wright.
TUS wants to remind travelers coming in and out of Tucson to plan ahead and be prepared for extra waittimes as you hit the skies this summer.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
