As Christmas approaches, travelers are flooding roads and airports to reach their festive destinations. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) is facing one of its busiest seasons, with eager individuals like Andrew Anderson awaiting loved ones, gifts in hand. Anderson's wife, amongst the approximate thirty-three thousand travelers, joined the stream of arrivals on Thursday, a beam in the crowd, according to a CBS Austin.
Despite the flurry of motion, serenity seems to govern this year's exodus. In a statement that tempts fate, Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg confidently announced, "I don’t want to jinx us, but so far 2023 has seen the lowest cancellation rate in the last five years," reported by WhioTv7.
For those who opt for terrestrial passage, AAA Texas forecasts that the day after Christmas will be equally as busy on the roads, with an estimated 8.3 million individuals turning the ignition for their holiday commutes. Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for AAA Texas, advised against driving during the morning and afternoon rush hours particularly, in the days following Christmas, as stated in CBS Austin.
Following Southwest Airlines' last year's debacle, the skies also are under stringent watch. The airline, having agreed to pay a hefty $140 million to shut down a federal investigation into its holiday snafu, seems intent on evading a repeat. "I made clear that we would be putting Southwest under a microscope and since that time, we have engaged what they were doing to us over their shoulder," Buttigieg said, as per CBS Austin.
