Busy travel day at Atlanta airport wraps up record summer travel season

ATLANTA - A blockbuster summer travel season comes to an end with a record-breaking Labor Day weekend.

While travelers filled airports nationwide, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport kept its title as the busiest airport in the world.

According to travel website Hopper, Atlanta is projected to see more than 1 million passengers between Thursday, Aug. 29 and Wednesday, Sept. 4.

The company identified Atlanta as the third most popular domestic destination for travelers this Labor Day.

Hopper says 23 million seats were scheduled out of U.S. airports over the weekend.

Ahead of the holiday weekend, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expected an 8.5% increase in passengers nationwide compared to 2023, making it the busiest Labor Day on record.

"People are traveling more than ever this summer and TSA along with our airline and airport partners stand ready to close the busiest summer travel period on record during this upcoming Labor Day weekend," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

This weekend is par for the course this summer.

TSA says the top ten busiest travel days in the agency's history have all come since May of this year.

Hopper attributed the boom to high supply from airlines and low prices thanks to the cost of fuel in today's market compared to last year.

The travel website identified Monday as the busiest day of the week for return travel with 3.5 million seats booked.

For Robert Spidel, a veteran and USO volunteer, crowds at the Atlanta airport hadn't quite met his expectations by early Monday afternoon.

"It's been a lot less than I actually expected," Spidel told FOX 5 News.

For nearly 20 years, Spidel has spent every Monday volunteering at the USO desk in the arrivals lobby of Hartsfield-Jackson.

"I hate people looking around, and they're not sure what they're doing or where they need to go and if I can help them, I'm standing here, I might as well. It's the right thing to do," Spindler said.

On Monday, US Army Specialist Jose Ruiz, US Army Private First-Class Ezekeal Teage, and their German Shepherds were among the many travelers Spindler assisted.

The military personnel braved the holiday crowds to fly from Springfield to train their canines, Biggie and Dorka, with local law enforcement.

"We volunteered for this. We knew what we were getting into. Sometimes the training is worth the sacrifice, especially for the exposure of the dogs," Ruiz said.

A headache for many, the holiday travel proving to be a welcome training exercise for Biggie and Dorka.