Columbia Regional Airport sees surge in passengers as holiday travel season begins

COLUMBIA — According to Forbes, a record 119 million people are expected to travel during the holiday season.

As of September, this year the Columbia Regional Airport has had over 1,300 flight operations and that number will continue to climb as the airport reaches the busiest travel time of the year.

“Of course, passenger numbers have continued to increase over the last week or so. Everything has been running smoothly, of course, the weather helps out a lot, we haven’t seen any snow here locally. But everything has been running smoothly,” Explained Michael Parks, Manager of the Columbia Regional Airport.

Parks says as more residents get ready to fly to their destination, they will want to keep up with local weather updates and be aware of the weather at their destination as well.

“You want to make sure you check the weather locally, it looks like for the most part the holiday is going to be really nice here locally, maybe a little bit of rain. But again, check those destinations and check that flight status with your ticket to make sure everything is operating as normal, ” Parks said.

Several of the residents at the airport preparing for their flight tell me they are glad they are ahead of the big rush.

“I like to beat the crowds that way I can just hang out at the gate, do whatever I want for a while, and then get on board, and get out of here,” said Taylor Turrise, who was flying from Columbia to Chicago.

And while some are flying just a few states over, others are preparing for thousands of miles of travel.

“My son is in the Army reserve, and his fiancé and daughter are in the Philippines. We want to make sure we are there Christmas morning, so we’re heading out a bit early,” Said Cynthia Hall, who was flying from Columbia to the Philippines.

Parks says if you plan on traveling with any Christmas gifts it’s best to wait to wrap them until you arrive at your destination.

“Always take into consideration that you have to go through the TSA, so ensure that you don’t wrap your presents before you get to the airport before you get through security. That also applies to check baggage. So, make sure you don’t wrap presents. Wait till you get to your destination to wrap those presents, that way in case the TSA needs to take a look.”

Parks says they will continue to monitor the weather as the holiday travel season continues.