ATLANTA -- For frequent fliers coming into or through Atlanta on Memorial Day, you already know the deal. Pack your patience and get to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport early.
How early? General Manager John Selden suggested 2 hours of the gate closing for domestic flights and 3 hours for international travel. He added that they're doing what they can to limit the impact of issues on the ground like the ATL Next construction project. "Front-facing" projects that might slow travel have been halted for the holiday season.
But crowds between May 23 and May 28 are traditionally some of the biggest even the world's busiest airport faces each year. So, the onslaught of passengers will be causing some issues.
In fact, 2018's Memorial Day travel set a single-day TSA screening record of 93,000 passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson. It took the infamous "Mass Exodus" after the Super Bowl to break that record with 104,000 screened passengers.
And while we may not hit the Big Game travel numbers, Selden said it's very likely the passenger count will hit or surpass the Memorial Day record set months earlier.
In all, just shy of half a million flyers will come through Atlanta's major airport over the holiday period.
"We all know there is no slow day here at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport," Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Mary Leftridge Byrd said.
But with that influx will come another issue that has become a dubious honor for the flight hub. Byrd said that TSA agents had already found 109 guns this year at checkpoints - most of them loaded. So, she put out a warning to passengers to check before they leave - or suffer an unexpected, and unpleasant, delay.
"There's no one that wants to start travel by being escorted to the Atlanta Police precinct," she said.
An Atlanta Police spokesperson also reiterated that point. Byrd said they found three guns at security checkpoints on Monday alone.
The usual rules with fluids over 3.4 ounces and electronic devices larger than a cell phone are also still in place.
But even more important than getting to the airport will be remaining healthy on the trip. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson Dr. Nancy Messonnier said the anyone without a measles vaccine should get one as soon as possible.
Messonnier said that not only is the U.S. seeing the largest outbreak in over 25 years with 900 cases in 24 states, but common summer travel destinations are some of the hotbeds.
She also advised travelers abroad to check CDC advisories for the countries they plan to visit.
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