Holiday travel traffic in full swing at Charleston International Airport

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is here, and flyers at Charleston International Airport are ready to join Santa and his crew in the sky.

It’s the busiest time of year, especially for holiday travel at Charleston International Airport.

AAA predicts 119 million Americans will travel this season- that’s three million more than last year.

A spokesman for Charleston International Airport, Spencer Pryor, said around 100,000 travelers passed through the airport during Christmas week in 2023.

He said they expect this year’s numbers will be comparable.

“Overall, we think that we’ll see the same Christmas that we had last year or maybe even a few percentages above. Of course, the day of the week that Christmas falls on indicates. I know folks started to travel even on this previous weekend to get that earlier start,” Pryor said.

Being caught in long lines during this time of year can feel like being wrapped up in a present- tightly bound with no easy way out.

Luckily for passengers at Charleston International Airport, Pryor said TSA wait times are low and lines are steadily moving.

“They’ve added an additional seventh lane we added a couple of months ago, so that has been working tremendously,” he said.

Pryor said airlines and airport security have all amped up their operations in preparation for crowds.

“In 2019, just before COVID, we were at like 4.5 million passengers annually that came through. Last year, we were at 6.1 million. So that tells you from 2019 to 2023, how we have grown, and we continue to expect that the numbers will go up as folks get to travel more,” he said.

Pryor said there’s nothing better than seeing families reunite for the holidays, adding that the warmth and company of passengers is the greatest gift of all.

For one Charleston native, his gift is about to be delivered.

“When she comes in and we’re sitting there on Christmas Eve, I just think about how lucky I am, how blessed I am, how blessed we all are,” Terry Hamlin said.

Hamlin said every Christmas for the past several decades he’s picked up his daughter from this airport.

He said his daughter owns and operates a successful business in New York, so the fact that she carves out time to see him is his reason for the season.

“Sometimes unfortunate things happen, and sometimes good things happen. But in the end, everything is done for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. And this season should show everyone why they should smile and say hello to every person year-round,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin said he grew up in Charleston, which has given him a first-hand look at the growth and development across the area.

“When I was much younger, the airport was very small, you walked right in. We had maybe three airlines, perhaps Delta, American and United, I think. You walked right up, you bought your ticket, you got on the plane, and you flew away. Nowadays, of course, it’s much larger, and it’s still growing and going to get even larger than it is now. It’s amazing, the growth of Charleston. But once the word got out about how beautiful Charleston is, and the quality of life we all have here, people wanted to come, and you can’t blame them,” he said.

Pryor said Thanksgiving might be the airport’s most crowded day of the year, but the winter wanderers tend to stay in town longer now that school is out.

He predicts Monday and Christmas Eve will be the busiest days at the airport for holiday traffic.

Pryor said if there’s one travel tip he’d gift you this season, it’s to wait to wrap your gifts until after going through TSA. He said some gifts like earrings or jewelry could set off the detectors, and agents would have to unwrap it to take a look.

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