Salt Lake City Airport full of travelers coming home for the holidays
Nov 27, 2024, 8:25 PM | Updated: 10:36 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – An influx of holiday travelers is coming home to Utah for Thanksgiving.
Wednesday is one of the busiest travel days of the year, and the Salt Lake City International Airport reported that travel went up roughly 5% from last year. KSL TV spoke with some of those passengers excited to be home with family.
Home for the holidays, for some it’s been at least two years.
Chase Gibson, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was headed home Wednesday, returning from the Philippines.
Home for the Holidays… see who @KSL5TV caught up with arriving at the @slcairport just time for Thanksgiving, tonight at 10p. pic.twitter.com/E9mPnJhrPL
— Brian Carlson (@briancarlsontv) November 28, 2024
“Feels really good, feels very accomplishing. I’m very excited to be with my family again,” Chase Gibson said.
“It just happened to end up that it was right before Thanksgiving, so it’s like perfect,” Lana Gibson, Chase’s mother, said.
Of the estimated 30,000 travelers arriving Wednesday at the Salt Lake City International Airport, many are back home to see family for Thanksgiving dinner.
“The home base for the family is always in Utah,” said Nisa Fraser, who was flying home from Sacramento.
“We spend and make memories as much as we can, and spending time with each other,” said Van Dawkins, who is visiting family in Pleasant Grove.
“Family is everything, and being able to spend time with your family is the number one priority for me,” said Taylor Defisher, who was coming home to Ogden.
This Thanksgiving, as her second priority, Taylor is introducing her boyfriend to her family for the first time.
“I’ve already met her dad we’re good. Now it’s her mom and sisters,” Taylor’s boyfriend said.
“And my grandma,” she said.
“And her grandma,” he said.
Wednesday the airport is full of anticipation, filled with the sounds of the holidays, and the thrill of seeing Utah again after being away.
“I like seeing the mountains again. There ain’t a lot of mountains in Texas,” said Darin Smith, who is visiting his mom in Tooele.
He wasn’t the only traveler to say that. Many people that KSL TV talked to at the airport said how much it meant to see the mountains and the snow. One man from Florida said it’s one of the reasons he’s thinking of moving here.
