Airport travel expected to be busy but not too crowded

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City International Airport is expecting an increase in holiday travel over the next few weeks. However, officials say they’re not expecting any major delays.

“It’s interesting this Christmas because it falls on a Wednesday, so it looks like passengers are kind of spreading out their departures and arrivals,” said Airport Spokesperson Nancy Volmer.

She said the busiest days are expected to come once the holidays are over.

“When we’re really seeing the numbers jump up is going to be on the weekend after both the Christmas holidays and the New Year’s holidays,” she said. “Those are probably the times that are going to be a little more busy than others.”

Holiday travel peak times

She says peak travel times during each day tend to be at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

“We are aware that there is going to be an increase in passengers,” she said. “So we always work very closely with our tenants and our concessions to make sure that everybody is aware of the busy times and are fully staffed.”

She said that today they are seeing about 4,000 more travelers than they see on normal busy days.

Ways to smooth out holiday travel

No matter how pretty presents may be wrapped, if an item is prohibited, it will be unwrapped and potentially removed. This is why Volmer recommends checking TSA guidelines before packing presents.

“You don’t want to spend time wrapping something just to have it unwrapped,” she said. “Putting [gifts] in a gift bag or something like that is probably better than actually wrapping something.”

Other suggestions for smooth holiday travel include:

• Reserve parking in advance
• Check with the airline to make sure there are no delays
• Get to the airport well before boarding
  • Arrive 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international flights
• Know what you can pack in a carryon and checked luggage
  • Guidelines can be found at tsa.gov
• Stay in designated park and wait lots until passengers are ready to be picked up at the curb

Holiday surprises

Holiday performers will be making an appearance at the airport starting Saturday through Christmas Eve with a special Santa appearance on Dec. 24.

“We’re just trying to create more of a festive atmosphere to make it more relaxing and enjoyable for those traveling during the holidays,” said Volmer.

The performers can be found in the greeting room, by baggage claim and plaza areas.

Read more:

• Salt Lake City International Airport prepping the runways for snow
• Cars, buses, and pricey flights: What holiday travel will look like at the end of 2024
• Holiday travel forecast returns to pre-pandemic, record level