Travelers at SRQ airport already at all-time high as Thanksgiving holiday nears
With a record number of passengers passing through Sarasota Bradenton International Airport this year — making it one of the fastest growing airports in the United States — officials are advising that holiday travelers should think smart and plan accordingly.
“With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, we want to remind travelers to take a little extra time getting to the airport and arrive two hours before your departure. We recommend you check with your airline to ensure your flight is on-time. Also, check the TSA’s website for information on what is allowed in carry-on and checked luggage,” Rick Piccolo, the airport’s president and CEO, said Wednesday.
“By taking a little extra time to follow these suggestions, we hope that you will find your travel to be stress-free and enjoyable,” Piccolo said.
The SRQ forecast for Thanksgiving mirrors that of AAA.
This holiday marks the highest single-year increase in Thanksgiving travelers in the U.S. since 2005, bringing travel volumes close to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Despite gas costing over a dollar more per gallon than this time last year, 90% of people plan to travel by car as their preferred mode of travel, AAA advises.
Passenger traffic at SRQ is at an all-time high. For the month of October, passenger traffic there totaled 275,359. Compared to October 2020, passenger traffic was 148% higher than the COVID-19 impacted level of 110,883 passengers.
Compared to October of 2019, passenger traffic was 72% higher than the pre-COVID-19 level of 160,327. The number of passengers traveling through SRQ year-to-date totals 2,494,632.
The previous record for a calendar year at SRQ was set in 1990 when 2,010,304 passengers traveled through the airport.
SRQ now offers 51 destinations and a choice of 11 airlines. The newest destination, Allegiant’s nonstop route to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, started Friday with twice weekly flights.
For flight information at SRQ, visit https://srq-airport.com/flight-information.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
