American Airlines preparing for busiest travel day ever at DFW Airport

DALLAS – DFW Airport could see a record-breaking crowd this week for the Fourth of July.

Over the next five days, travelers are expected to set an all-time record for Independence Day travel nationwide.

At DFW Airport, there’s plenty of proof. 

About 1.5 million travelers are set to pass through the airport between Thursday and Sunday. That’s an increase of 5.5% over the same period last year.

American Airlines expects Sunday to be its single busiest day ever for operations at its hometown hub. There are 935 departing flights on the schedule.

FOX 4 spoke to several travelers Wednesday morning who had to pack their patience.

“I got a hotel here because I knew it would be something else and it really is. I mean, the bag drop line I waited 30 minutes just for that,” said Grayson Blake, who is headed to Cabo, Mexico.

“Insane! We tried to get here an hour and a half early. We’re trying to get to St. Croix today through Miami and the line is wrapped all the day down at the end,” added Amanda Ray, who is headed to the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Busy Fourth of July. Everyone wants to go traveling.”

The airport actually recommends that people arrive two hours before their flight for the smoothest experience.

The travel site Hopper.com suggests the increase in travel this year could be due in part to a trend of lower domestic airfares. 

Ticket prices for the holiday period are down 18% from last year. The average domestic round-trip ticket is selling for $263. International fairs are averaging $900 per ticket.