Tips for surviving the Austin airport during ACL Festival

The Austin airport can randomly be a headache any day of the week. But things tend to take a chaotic turn each fall thanks to back-to-back weekends of Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The annual event will take over Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13. ACL Fest has grown in popularity in recent years, and the event typically draws attendees from across the country — and even the world.

This means the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) will likely be busier than usual from Friday, Oct, 4, through Tuesday, Oct. 15, as hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Capital City for both weekends of ACL Fest.

The Austin airport also started an expansion project in April 2024. Due to the expansion, the airport will be under construction through 2026.

Translation: Flying out of Austin over the next two weeks might stress you out (more than usual) and give you a crowd-induced headache.

Whether you’re escaping the city to avoid the crowds associated with ACL Festival or are coming into town for the event, there are ways to make it in and out of the Austin airport alive with your sanity intact.

Tips for flying in and out of Austin-Bergstrom Airport during ACL Fest

Sometimes, things seem to go over better when you expect the worst. And flying in and out of the Austin airport during ACL Fest is no different.

This way, when things go smoothly, it’s a welcomed surprise. But if things go south, there’s not much to sweat and spiral over because you were expecting it anyway.

When flying into Austin, there are a few tips to follow that will help you maintain your sanity in an airport that’s far too small for the number of travelers it sees.

If you checked a bag on your way to Austin, expect a delay at baggage claim. Typically, travelers either get their bags from baggage claim within 30 minutes of their plane arriving at the gate, or they’ll have to wait over an hour.

There is no such thing as a happy medium when it comes to baggage claim at ABIA. In best best-case scenario, you get your bag without much delay. Worst case scenario, you’ll start spiraling while thinking the airline lost your suitcase due to the excessive amount of time spent waiting for it.

More often than not, your bag will arrive at baggage claim without issue — it just might take a touch longer than you’d like. This is where “expecting the worst” comes in handy.

So, pack your patience, grab a taco from one of the many local restaurants that line the main terminal at the Austin airport on your way to baggage claim, and await whatever odds the airport gods have in store for you that day.

From Friday, Oct. 4, through Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Austin airport recommends travelers who are flying out and will be using the general TSA screening lines, meaning those without TSA PreCheck or Clear, to arrive at least two and a half hours before their departure time for domestic flights, and three hours before departure for international flights.

There are three security lines at the Austin airport. Checkpoint 2 West (located between the United and American check-in counters) has security lines for those with TSA PreCheck and Clear. Security checkpoints open at 3 a.m. daily.

If you plan on checking a bag when flying out of Austin between Oct. 4 and Oct. 15, expect ticketing counters to be busy and lines to be long, especially for airlines that offer free or discounted checked luggage.

How to kill time at the Austin airport

Delays are a part of flying, and no matter how much it kills your vibe, a bad mood won’t change the fact your flight’s been delayed.

The good news is there’s a lot to do at the Austin airport. Plus, beers are cheaper there than they are at most music venues in Austin — and most drinks will be cheaper than they are at ACL Fest. That’s a win if we’ve ever heard one.

Whether you’re at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for a layover or are flying out after a weekend at ACL Fest, there’s surely a shop, record store, restaurant, cafe or bar calling your name.

The cool thing about the Austin airport is it aims to feature local vendors. There’s a Waterloo Records in the airport’s main terminal and a Tyler’s store, as well as local restaurants and coffee shops like Hut’s Hamburgers, The Salt Lick, Tacodeli, Jo’s Coffee, Second Bar + Kitchen, 24 Diner, Amy’s Ice Cream and The Peached Tortilla.

Some spots even let travelers take their boozy beverages to-go, allowing them to settle their preflight nerves with a drink in hand while obsessively checking the flight board at their gate.

Heck, you can even watch flights take off and land on the runway, thanks to the endless floor-to-ceiling windows that span the Austin airport.

Does this make it a little hotter than some travelers would like? Sure. But it also makes getting stuck at the Austin airport feel a touch more bearable and feel less like you’re stuck in a dungeon of travel hell.

If you want to kill time with something a little more interactive, head to the “Interimaginary Departures” setup between gates 12 and 14 (there is no gate 13 at ABIA).

This was designed by Brooklyn-based artist, Janet Zweig. You’ll see a sign with an infinity symbol and seats lined up at a seven-degree angle and a flight board with fake flights to Narnia and the Emerald City, to name a few destinations.

It’s kind of silly, but it beats being forced to listen to that one guy (you know the guy) talk on the phone at a soul-piercing volume.

Fastest way to get to rideshare pickup, rental cars at Austin airport

Wouldn’t it be great if you could grab your checked luggage, exit the Austin airport and snag a rideshare or cab from the pickup area?

In a perfect world, this would be the case. But those flying into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport should expect a bit of a trek to both the rideshare pickup and the rental car counters.

Since the airport’s expansion efforts are long overdue, space is a bit tight. Given how maddening the arrival and departure decks can be at ABIA, it’s almost like a twisted blessing in disguise that travelers must embark on a journey through multiple parking garages to reach the rental car counters and rideshare/cab pickup areas.

While you’ll see signs that say there’s a shuttle from the garage nearest the airport entrance to the garage where the rideshare pickup and rental car counters are, the shuttles — which are usually golf carts — don’t fit that many people and aren’t running as frequently as they should.

If you don’t have a checked bag, the fastest way to get to the rental car and rideshare pickup area, which are in the same garage, is by exiting through the upper level where the ticketing counters are. If not, you’ll have to wait for a painfully slow elevator in the first parking garage and take it to the second level before trekking to the actual garage where rideshare pickup and rental car check-in are located.

If you check a bag, you can always take an escalator up to the second floor and exit through the “arrival” doors. There is a designated walkway through the garages to both pickup areas. But people tend to drive a touch too aggressively in parking garages at the airport, so make sure you’re paying attention where you’re walking.

While the walk isn’t “far,” it can be annoying after a long day of travel. Plus, it’s open air, and if the weather is toasty that day, it might not be the most enjoyable trek. But, an air-conditioned rideshare or rental car awaits you at the end of your journey, and all the airport annoyances will soon melt away.

You can view a map here for help navigating to the rideshare pickup area at the Austin airport.