As Memorial Day travel begins, airlines ‘having a hard time keeping up,’ one flyer says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Memorial Day weekend is almost here, and that means the unofficial start of summer vacations.

AAA projects about 45 million Americans will travel this holiday weekend. That’s a more than 5% increase from over five years ago.

More than 3.5 million are expected to travel by air.

If you’re waiting until Friday to take to the skies or hit the road, you might already be behind.

“There is a lot more people traveling,” said Lakiesha Hopkins, who landed in Lincoln from St. Louis on Wednesday to visit her boyfriend. “The airlines are the ones having a hard time keeping up.”

Some travelers are taking off early to avoid the surge in prices and the long lines.

But that means packed terminals and potentially delayed flights.

“My flight was delayed yesterday for one to Chicago, so I changed it and went to Denver because the weather’s better,” Hopkins said. “So I was up at 3 because my flight left at 5:40.”

One Lincoln family said they’ve already felt the effects of delayed flights.

They are traveling to Turkey, but their flight got pushed back until Thursday.

Just in time for summer travel season, the Lincoln Airport is adding another flight to Denver starting on Thursday.

People coming to and from Nebraska will need to decide which airport is best for them and their wallets.

Hopkins said flying into Lincoln may be more expensive than flying into Omaha.

But she said she’s willing to pay for convenience.

“I’ve been flying to Lincoln for about three years now,” she said. “Going to Omaha is too much, it’s just a lot. So it’s so much easier to come here.”

And Hopkins said if you’re flying in or out of Lincoln, you need to stay prepared.

“Be flexible because the airlines are running on the weather, and then people don’t like to give up their seats,” she said. “Be flexible is all I can say, and be patient.”