Spring break marks the unofficial start of travel season and it looks to be a busy one. With an average of 30 flights a day, Redmond Airport is already busy with people getting a head start on Oregon spring break.
“Everything was good. Flew into Salt Lake. The airport there is still under construction. It’s kind of precarious there but the connection happened and here we are, ready to rage,” said Cory, flying in from Tucson.
The airlines are flying larger planes to Redmond that carry more passengers. Each arrival and departure brings more people who are trying to park, check in, get through security or claim their baggage at the same time.
RELATED: Your next flight from Redmond may cost you 60% more to park
“3:00 a.m-7:00 a.m. is our peak time of the day,” said Jayde Hawkins, Redmond Airport Security Manager. “We are also seeing a big increase at night. Some of the inbound groups at night, again, larger groups of folks coming off the flight at the same time so a lot of activity in the terminal, on the curb and in the parking lots.”
According to AAA, spring break booking levels are up 20% to 60% over last year and at or above levels seen in 2019, before the pandemic.
“40% of U.S. adults who are traveling over spring break are taking a multi generational vacation. So you’ve got the kids, the parents and the grandparents. During COVID many folks had limited interaction with loved ones so it makes sense they are trying to make up for lost time,” said Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon-Idaho.
Redmond Airport’s standing recommendation to arrive two hours before a flight departs seems like good advice, especially during spring break.
