TEXAS — Strong winds and hail battered parts of the Lone Star State overnight, with some parts of the Hill Country seeing baseball-sized hail. But by Wednesday morning, most flights at Texas’ major airports continued on schedule.
According to the flight tracking site FlightAware, around 47 flights were delayed at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) around 7 a.m. In Austin, as the storm moved through Central Texas, about 20 flights experienced delays.
Many flyers arrived early at DFW Wednesday morning, citing concerns about weather, the partial government shutdown and an increase in travelers because of spring break. Flyers coming in and out of Austin may also see wait times increase because of South by Southwest (SXSW), which begins on Thursday.
Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport saw some of the longest Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines in Texas this week. Airport officials told flyers to get there four to five hours early to have enough time to go through screening. TSA workers are currently working without pay, which is leading to an increased shortage of people manning those lines.
It comes as we near one month of the most recent partial government shutdown because of ongoing debate over Department of Homeland Security funding.
Spectrum News spoke with one family flying internationally on Wednesday morning. They say they arrived at DFW extra early because of the concern they saw at other airports in the state.
“Our flight wasn’t scheduled until 9 a.m. So, let’s get there at like 4:30-5 a.m. at max in the morning,” said Talha, who was dropping his family off at the airport. “We got here, not the case. Not busy at all. We were the first person in the line when the counter opened up.”
Most airports allow flyers to check TSA wait times before they arrive.
For Dallas Love Field, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and San Antonio International Airport, On Air Parking offers general wait times.