Experts Offer Important Guidance As Millions Expected To Travel This Summer

Experts expect millions of people to book a flight and take a trip this summer.

According to Airlines for America, one year ago, air travel was down 96 percent across the nation, but recently more people are boarding flights, showing it’s going to be a busy summer.

“They came to visit me for my graduation at nursing school,” Bartlesville resident, Casey Wiswell said.

Casey Wiswell came to pick up her family at the Tulsa International Airport. And as the summer travel season kicks off, experts expect more people to be traveling and airports to be crowded.

“They are missing their friends and family, their loved ones, they want a vacation,” Senior VP of Communications for Airlines for America, Rebecca Spicer said.

Rebecca Spicer with Airlines for America said they are now seeing more than one and a half million people go through TSA checkpoints on a regular basis.

Spicer has four tips when you decide to travel by air. These tips include wearing your mask because air travel is still under a federal mask mandate, try “touchless” travel by downloading your airline’s mobile app to check in, allow extra time to get to the airport and to get through security checkpoints, and since you can’t take open food and drinks through security, bring an empty water bottle and sealed snacks because many airport vendors might not have reopened yet.

“It just seems like a lot more people are moving around and happy to be doing it,” traveler, Bradie Brackman said.

With his mask ready to put on, Bradie Brackman is on his way to fly to Austin.

Spicer said they’re hoping to see more international and business travel through the summer because both are still down significantly.

Wiswell said her travel plans this summer include a lot of flights to Florida.

According to Airlines for America, 2024 is when we should expect to see a full return to pre-pandemic air travel.