BATON ROUGE - LSU fans are taking to the skies this weekend for the season opener against Clemson, but they aren't the only ones with weekend travel plans.

With Labor Day travel picking up, airports are expecting a rush. Officials expect nearly 6,000 passengers to take off from BTR during the Labor Day travel period. 

"We’re expecting this to be a record Labor Day for us," said Director of Aviation Mike Edwards. That’s a slight increase compared to last year.

“You know we do a lot of preplanning, so I’m confident that things will go smooth, but we will be here 24/7 if there were any issues, we have a great team, and they’ll jump right on it to keep things moving,” said Edwards. 

LSU fans are adding even more traffic to the holiday rush as they fly out for the Tigers’ season opener in Clemson.

“We’re going to see our tigers play," LSU fan Bryan Wesley said. "We’re all going to the same place, so we’re fired up!”

But not every traveler is chasing kickoff. Some are just trying to avoid the chaos of flying during a holiday weekend.

Paul Miles and his wife are also taking flight on Labor Day weekend. “Normally, we try to travel just before or just after the holiday weekend itself,” Miles said. 

Even with long lines and busy terminals, many travelers said they’re just preparing and staying patient.

"Long lines? We just prepare. It’s just like Christmas. You just have to prepare to not be in a rush," one traveler said.

Officials also want travelers to be aware of a new check bag policy this holiday season to help keep flights on time.

“Where you need to check your bag now at least 40 minutes prior to departure," said Edwards.