Dane County Regional Airport is expecting a big increase in traffic as travelers pack their bags for Memorial Day weekend.
DANE COUNTY (WKOW) — Dane County Regional Airport is expecting a big increase in traffic as travelers pack their bags for Memorial Day weekend.
This year, there are 214 flights departing from MSN from Thursday through the Tuesday after Memorial Day, a 75% increase over 2023.
MSN has also been serving passengers on larger aircraft this year, with more than 8,000 seats scheduled to depart this weekend.
Dane County Regional Airport's busiest year to date was 2019, but airport spokesman Michael Riechers said the airport is on track to meet its goal of 1.2 million to 1.3 million passengers this year.
“The great thing about our airport is, especially with Milwaukee and Chicago being so close, for people who don't want to fight the crowds, don't want to be stuck in traffic, don't want the hustle and bustle of a really big airport, Dane County is a great place to start and end their trip,” Riechers said. “Now we're adding more and more destinations with direct flights.”
Breeze Airlines is the newest airline to join MSN, having joined last year. The airline offers nonstop service to Tampa, and the airport announced Thursday that it will offer nonstop service to Los Angeles over Memorial Day weekend.
With increased travel comes longer lines at security checkpoints, but Reachers said there are things passengers can do to prepare for their trip before they arrive at the airport.
“Check the TSA's packing recommendations and take into consideration your airline's recommendations as well,” he said.
Mr Reachers said packing more liquids than allowed or items such as batteries in the wrong compartment could slow down the process, but his biggest piece of advice for people this weekend is to be kind to airport staff.
“That's why we say, 'Be patient.'”
