Lots of extra people, no major delays impacting holiday travel at Salt Lake City Int’l Airport
Dec 21, 2023, 6:13 PM | Updated: Dec 22, 2023, 5:47 am
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and the busiest — at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
Airport officials say they’re expecting thousands of travelers today and Friday. Despite that, airport spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said on Thursday, there haven’t been any major travel problems affecting Salt Lake City.
“Everything seems to be going very smoothly,” she said. “And I think that passengers can really help with that if they plan ahead.”
(KSL TV)
Still, weather in other places and other unexpected airline delays can pop up at any moment.
That’s what happened to a family of 17 travelers who were trying to get from Utah to Florida. They were leaving Salt Lake City only to find out that their flight was delayed, and they might not make their connecting flight to Baltimore.
“I didn’t really think about how many people would be here. And now I’m seeing that there’s going to be a lot of people, and we just have to try to go with the flow of people,” traveler Garrett Schmidt said.
Volmer said the airport is expecting about 30,000 travelers in and out of the airport on Thursday and Friday. And she says there’s only one other time the airport has been busier.
“We had our busiest day at this new airport on Presidents Day, and that’s when we had a lot of skiers in town. We also had the NBA All-Star Game, and they were leaving, and we saw about 35,000 passengers. So we planned for it. We expect it. We staff up,” she said.
Volmer said passengers can help reduce stress by making sure their bags are packed correctly. She recommends weighing them, taking out any liquids and planning to be at the airport two-to-three hours before your flight.
Another bit of help: Volmer said that if you’re picking someone up, park at the airport’s park-and-wait lot. That helps keep the pickup area less crowded.
(KSL TV)
Santa Claus is coming to town
If you plan to travel on Saturday, Volmer said you’ll likely see a special traveler.
Santa will be greeting passengers Saturday, “late morning to early afternoon,” Volmer said. He’ll be handing out candy canes and taking last-minute gift wishes.
The airport is also decorated for the holidays, and there will be special holiday performers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
