Holiday travel in full swing at South Bend International Airport

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – This holiday season, 2.8 million Hoosiers are expected to travel 50 miles or more.

That would break a holiday travel record of 2.6 million set in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

From the looks of things at the South Bend International Airport today, Hoosiers will also do their fair share of hosting family gatherings.

“We’re coming from the Phoenix area, so that’s where we live,” said Daniel Guerro from the South Bend airport terminal. “We’re visiting family for Christmas and for the new year.” He said his children were looking forward to snow. “That’s something they don’t get in Phoenix.”

Meantime, the Harkers live in Florida. They’re not into winter weather, whatsoever.  Today, their bags were packed for a return trip to the Sunshine State.

“We are headed back to Florida. We came here to Indiana because we have two sons that live here, and we had an early Christmas with them, and now we’re going back to a little warmer weather,” said Ken Harker.

This year Christmas falls on a Wednesday, which could help to spread out holiday travelers. Another thing that is unique about this year — Hanukkah starts on Dec. 25.

“Unlike Thanksgiving where everybody is traveling that Wednesday before, and then coming home on that Sunday following, throughout Christmas Hannukah season people are traveling on a multitude of different days, so those crowds are spread out,” Julie Curtis with the South Bend Regional Airport told WNDU 16 News Now.

Regan Futa today arrived feeling like she was spread too thin. She took a side trip to a volleyball showcase event before heading to South Bend for the holidays. “We went from Indiana to Kansas City, and then to Dallas, and then today we flew from Dallas to here,” where her grandparents live.

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