TULSA, Okla. — It's the busiest time of year at Tulsa International Airport, as travelers make their way to their destinations for Thanksgiving.
About 75,000 passengers will be traveling through Tulsa International Airport this week, coming and going.
“We got up early and we drove from Gainsville to Jacksonville to catch a flight through Atlanta here to Tulsa," traveler Laura Pringle said.
Pringle and her family are visiting from Florida. For the past 10 years, they've been coming to Tulsa every Thanksgiving for a family tradition.
“We’re here for the national championship for BMX," Pringle said.
Linda Stevenson and her husband flew in from Chicago.
“I said to my husband when we got off the plane…this is the kind of airport you want to come into," Stevenson said.
Others were excited to welcome their loved ones.
“We came here to pick up my son and my two grandsons coming in from California," Wayne Mock said.
“I got through security pretty quickly and then I got here so I’ve just been waiting, and they should be coming in actually," Rory Victor who flew in from Houston said.
Andrew Pierini with the Tulsa International Airport said travel for Thanksgiving week is up 14 percent, compared to last year. He said those extra passengers will help boost revenue.
“More passengers means more parkers, more people using the concessions, and then obviously on the airline side…and increase in flight, we get specific landing fees every flight," Pierini said.
Pierini said Wednesday will be the busiest travel day.
In order to keep it as smooth as possible, they're encouraging travelers to arrive at least two hours before their flight, to make sure they have enough time to get their bags checked in time. Before you leave home, make sure you have everything you need for your trip, including your flight ticket and ID. The Real ID enforcement deadline was extended to May 2023, so your current driver's license will work. When at the airport, to get through TSA quicker slip-on shoes are recommended.
To make sure the traveler experience is good through this busy week, airport officials say they’ve brought on more staff.
“We will have our holiday crew out here. But we’ve got a great team of volunteer ambassadors that are here at the airport to make sure customer experience goes well for everybody," Pierini said. "We’ve had coordination meetings with the airlines as well. They are anticipating high volumes of passengers but they’ve got their staff ready to go as well.”
If you're picking up or dropping off loved ones, the airport asks everyone use curbside for active unloading and loading no waiting. If a passenger being picked up is not out at the curb with luggage, you can wait for them in the free cell phone lot on the east side of departures and arrivals road, or you can use the top deck of the parking garage for short-term parking.
If you’re a traveler planning to park and leave your car at the airport, you have three options: the parking garage which will cost $14 a day, the economy lot which costs $9 a day or valet which costs $20 a day.
The airport also offers a parking perks rewards program. It provides ticketless entry and exit in the garage and economy lot. Plus, you can earn points for free parking in the future.
Wednesday is the busiest day of travel ahead of the holiday. While Sunday and Monday are the busiest days following Thanksgiving. Airport officials say they are averaging 51 flights departing a day during the course of the week.
So before you leave home for the airport, know where you plan to park, have what you need, arrive two hours early and expect a busy airport.
For a link to flight statuses click here.
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