North Texas airports see small uptick in travelers heading into Christmas

DALLAS - Officials at Love Field Airport say Wednesday was likely the busiest travel day since the pandemic started. DFW Airport definitely looked quieter than usual.

Some travelers FOX 4 spoke with say they took extra precautions before coming home for the holidays. 

Despite the CDC recommendation to stay home for the holidays, North Texas airports still had one of the busiest travel days since the pandemic began.

Two days before Christmas, we’d expect one of the nation’s busiest airports to have one of its busiest travel days. But at DFW International on Wednesday, things were still very quiet.

Holiday travelers at DFW Airport experienced shorter lines and empty hallways.

A DFW spokesperson says while it’s hard to predict, it expected about two-thirds as many travelers as it would have in previous years.

"It’s still just a different time than before COVID," said traveler Ty Fields. "I kind of can’t wait for it to go back to normal."

Dallas Love Field also saw fewer travelers. It saw roughly 16,000 people coming through the airport on Wednesday compared to the typical 23,000.

Even with the lower number of travelers, Love Field says Wednesday was likely the busiest since the pandemic started.

Nnamdi Umeakuana took a COVID test in San Francisco before boarding his flight home to North Texas.

"My family wanted me to get tested before I came out so I was able to get that rapid testing and come out negative so I’m able to come back feel safe around my family members," Umeakuana said.