The final holiday of summer is here and those who plan to fly are expected to once again see big crowds at the airport.

(Radio Iowa) – Jessica Mayle with the TSA in Des Moines says the day before Thanksgiving is usually considered the biggest travel day of the year, but not this year. “‘This is just an incredibly busy time across the country. If you look at the top ten busiest days in the history of the TSA, they have all happened since May of 2024,” she says.

Mayle says getting to the airport two hours ahead of time is important. “Even an airport like Des Moines where, you know, or Cedar Rapids, any of our airports in Iowa, you know, we don’t see wait time issues there, but two hours is such a good rule of thumb, because it just gives you a little bit of a buffer,” Mayles says. “You do make a mistake. You do have something that you don’t mean to have. You need to run it back in your car. You need to check your bag. It just gives you a little bit of extra time.”

She says it begins with packing. “Start with an empty bag. Make sure you’re only putting the items in that you need to have, that you want to bring on this trip, and then check our website if you have any questions, do that research. That way you’re not caught off guard at the checkpoint,” she says.

Denver Airport. (Radio Iowa photo)

Mayle says some preparation can make the lines move faster for everyone. “It’s really not about, you know, expecting anyone to be perfect all the time. It’s just, what can you do to minimize those issues? Because, again, it’s just 30 seconds for you, 25 seconds for the next person. It just adds up when it goes back to back,” Mayle says.

She says you can find out all you need to know on the TSA website.