MOLINE, Ill. — The beginning of March means the start of spring break for many students in the Quad Cities, which means more air travel.
The Quad City International Airport is readying itself for what airport officials say is their busiest time of year for travel. News 8's Charles Hart spoke with airport Public Relations and Marketing Manager Ashleigh Davis, who said they bring in more passengers for spring break than during Christmas.
"Because it's a little bit more spread out," Davis said. "You got a lot of people that are anxious to get to warmer weather."
Davis said spring break is also busier because Moline is averaging 40,000 passengers a month as of March of 2023. That number is up from the 3,000 a month the airport was averaging since the start of the pandemic.
"It's still a little bit of a guessing game because we're still coming out of COVID," Davis said. "So while travel demand is bad, airports are still toying with numbers, they're seeing the airlines add and subtract flights."
Data from AAA shows they are expecting more to be traveling this spring break, and this is from fewer travel restrictions. The national trend also shows international travel is up 30% over 2022.
Another interesting fact from AAA shows that 40% of U.S. adults with spring break plans are traveling with three generations. The national trend reports some of the most popular spring break destinations are Cancun and the Bahamas.
The Transportation Security Administration has several tips on smooth screening, and you can view that by clicking/tapping here. Just to name a few, TSA says to limit liquids, such as gels and aerosols to 3.4 ounces or less for carry-on baggage. They recommend arriving two hours early for your scheduled flight, and lastly to make sure you empty your pockets when at airport security checkpoints.