BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Travelers are encouraged to arrive earlier than normal to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport if they are flying out for Thanksgiving.

According to the Birmingham Airport Authority, those with flights from Alabama’s largest commercial airport should arrive 90 minutes to two hours ahead of their scheduled departure. Since holiday traffic could reach record levels, parking and going through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint will take longer than normal.

Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is expecting a busy rush of travelers on Friday. Longer lines are expected to occur off and on throughout the coming week.

The parking deck at the airport will likely be at near capacity or full during the holidays. Passengers also can leave their cars in the airport’s economy lot, catch a shuttle to the terminal and ride back to their car when they return. The shuttles run continuously, and a ride in each direction lasts about two minutes.

The Birmingham Airport Authority stated passenger traffic at the airport is trending up and started to surpass 2019 levels in June.