Travellers embarking on summer vacations should arrive at Edmonton International Airport an extra hour early in August, airport officials say.
Passengers should tack on the extra hour for both domestic and international flights, communications and passenger experience vice president Traci Bednard told CBC. That means arriving two hours prior to a domestic flight, and three hours before an international flight.
“August is actually the busiest month of the year for us,” Bednard said.
Over 800,000 passengers travelled through Edmonton International in August 2018. July was the next busiest month, with over 700,000 passengers. Bednard said Christmas and winter break can also see volumes spike, but August takes the prize for busiest overall time of year.
“It’s also a month where we see a lot of leisure travel, vacation travel, so, you know, folks that might not be as familiar with using the airport,” she said.
Bednard said recent updates to security procedures may help ease wait-times, but she recommends travellers take extra time and avoid risking getting stressed out about making it to the gate on time.
Calgary International Airport also recommends showing up earlier than than normal during peak summer travel times, but that airport advises 30 to 45 extra minutes should be adequate.
Nearly eight million passengers travelled through Edmonton’s airport in 2018.