Millions of people are expected pass through the gates of America’s airports around Thanksgiving — and the Redmond Airport is expecting to see more than its fair share of travelers.

The fast-growing airport said its ready for the influx, but holiday travelers might notice a longer wait at airline check-ins and TSA security lines. It could also make finding a parking spot at the airport more challenging, said Zach Bass, Redmond’s airport director.

“It is important for travelers to understand we may reach our parking capacity a number of times throughout the holidays,” Bass said. “Passengers are advised to arrive two hours prior to flight departure to check luggage and clear security, especially for flights departing between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.”

Bass said it might be a better idea to carpool or utilize other ride-share options during the holidays rather than planning to park on site.

Bass said the airport has seen about a 10% decrease in people parking at the airport since the airport raised the cost from $15 a day to $24. Despite that, he said, things can still fill up pretty quickly and it is wise to check the availability online before leaving for the airport. The parking lot availability is updated every 30 minutes as flights land and passengers leave.

“I think with the expansion of the parking lot a few years ago, we are not expecting an overflow situation this year,” said Bass. “I think we are ok, although we do let people know to check. Because there is nothing worse than driving here and not having a spot.”

Bass said there are no plans to further expand the airport’s parking capacity until the new terminal expansion is complete. He also said there are plans of possibly offering lower cost, farther-out options in the future. 

“For the next few years we are hoping we can make do with the parking we have but we realize that we need to have some cheaper options in the future with some shuttles,” Bass said. “That would be our next step in probably four or five years from now.”

The American Automobile Association is projecting that around 16.5% of the U.S. population will travel 50 miles or more from home during Thanksgiving, AAA said in a release this month. The number is up 2.3% from 2022, and this year is expected to be the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel season since AAA began tracking it in 2000.

The organization projects that 785,000 Oregonians will travel this Thanksgiving with the majority, or 89%, driving to their destinations. However, many will fly, and AAA said air travel is up 6.6% from last year. In Redmond, which is already consistently busy with 84% of all airline seats in and out of Redmond full at any given time, Bass said, is expecting even more travelers for the holidays.