JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer and the beginning of the summer travel season. This year, the holiday comes just one week after a fire damaged the hourly garage at Jacksonville International Airport, leaving part of it closed.
AAA expects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home this weekend, with about 39 million of those travelers hitting the road.
The airport was bustling with travelers on Friday afternoon. Scarlett Shaver, who was flying out of Jacksonville, expressed her excitement.
“I haven’t been on a plane in a long time,” Scarlett replied.
Scarlett and her mother, Ashley Shaver, arrived at the airport extra early to avoid any potential issues.
“I was prepping for the whole garage to be closed, so we decided to come early today, earlier than we normally do, about two and a half hours early,” Ashley said.
Chuck and Heather Wolfe planned ahead to get to the airport Friday afternoon. They normally park in the garage but after last week’s fire they asked a family member to drop them off.
“We came from St Augustine and caught up with her sister in Mandarin, who brought us on up to the airport because concerning about parking due to the fire in the parking garage earlier and the holiday travel,” the couple shared.
Drivers also encountered heavy traffic. Tomeica Huff, traveling with her family to Orlando, shared her experience.
“I mean, it’s been flowing. It’s been kind of heavy, but stop and go, but no accidents. That’s been a blessing, because we are always worried about car accidents on I-95, but so far so good,” Huff said.
Mike Jeremiah traveled from Savannah to Jacksonville to fly back home to Tennessee. The drive was smooth but his trip wasn’t without issues.
“Just winding down and getting down to the airport to catch my flight later, which is delayed unfortunately, but so goes it, holiday weekend, right?” he said.
Friday was noticeably busier than usual at the airport. The Shavers typically park in the economy lot, but Ashley noted the challenges they faced.
“It was super full. Some of the lots were closed, and I had to check before I even drove here to make sure there was any space for us to park,” she said.
Getting to the airport was easy for the Wolfe’s but they ran into a long line for security, which is not what they normally experience.
“Coming here today and seeing this big line is obviously concerning to get through because flight timelines,” Wolfe shared.
Arriving early to the airport, didn’t phase Scarlett.
“Because if we got here later, I’m pretty sure we would miss our flight. And it’s actually crazy how long this line is,” she said.
Once Jeremiah gets home, he plans on staying put.
“I think I’ll stay home this weekend,” Jeremiah said. “It’ll be nice to enjoy the cooler weather and maybe get in the lake or something.”
As for the return trip, Huff plans to leave early to avoid the rush.
“We’re probably gonna try to leave Tuesday, probably early, hoping not to hit the traffic going home. So that’s our plan,” she said.
The airport’s website features a tracker showing how full each parking lot is, so travelers are encouraged to check this before arriving for flights this weekend. The south side of the hourly lot, where the damage occurred, remains closed.
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