Austin is the place to be this weekend, with three major events taking place in Texas’ capital. But with an influx of visitors comes chaos—especially at the airport.
This weekend, Austin will host three huge sporting events: the San Antonio Spurs face off against the Houston Rockets at Moody Center on Friday; The University of Texas Longhorns play Ole Miss at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday; and the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. The city will be packed to the gills—a billboard coming into Austin from Houston even marketed it as Texas’ “biggest weekend.” But the downside of an exciting weekend was on display at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where passengers were reportedly waiting two hours for a rideshare into the city.
“Austin airport is a madhouse,” real estate agent Tammy Davison shared on Instagram alongside a video of the rideshare waiting area.
Reddit told a similar story, with one post describing the airport as “absolutely mobbed” at 12:30 a.m.
Austin-Bergstrom warned of increased wait times and activity this weekend, with exceptionally busy travel days through Tuesday. According to KXAN, airport officials expect more than 35,000 departing passengers on Monday, marking the airport’s “single busiest day.” Travelers are advised to arrive at least 2.5 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international flights.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s rideshare pick-up area is notoriously annoying, requiring passengers to leave the terminal and follow signs to the second floor of a garage. However, change is coming as part of the airport’s years-long, multibillion-dollar expansion program.
A new arrivals and departures hall will be next to the rideshare area. The rideshare area actually won’t move, but the terminal will move closer to it, meaning the sweaty, outdoor walk will be a thing of the past in a few years.
Until then, perhaps find a benevolent friend for an airport ride—especially this weekend.