Dallas Love Field Airport parking spots will be tough to snag this Thanksgiving weekend

DALLAS - Airports nationwide are bracing for increased holiday travel this week.

Dallas Love Field is trying to combat any travel problems before they happen with suggestions for anyone traveling in the next few days.

There are still spaces on the roof in parking lot C at Dallas Love Field Airport, but officials expect them to all be filled over the next two days. So the airport is urging flyers to think about parking alternatives. 

This Thanksgiving week with mask requirements and other travel restrictions over, airports are expecting the most Thanksgiving travelers since before the pandemic in 2019.

AAA: Thanksgiving travel to nearly hit pre-pandemic levels

"COVID-19 played a big role in pent-up demand for travel," said AAA Spokesperson Daniel Armbruster. "The last six months to a year, we saw an explosion in travel."

At Dallas Love Field Airport Monday, parking was still easy to snag, but that is expected to quickly change. 

Lauren Rounds is with the spokeswoman for the Dallas Department of Aviation and says being dropped off can make things much easier. 

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"If you are going to drive to the airport, we ask you to reconsider and use other ways like rideshares or be dropped off by family and friends," she advised. "At the central location lower level, someone can help you with bags. Security checkpoints instead of driving around garages, wasting gas and looking for a spot that may not exist."

Rounds says the airport is recommending people flying this week arrive three hours before their flight. 

AAA expects air travel to be up eight percent nationally compared with last Thanksgiving, and that is 99% of the 2019 volume. 

Armbruster recommends, if you can, avoid checking a bag. That will give you more flexibility if your flight gets canceled.