Columbia Regional Airport passengers praise smooth travel days before Thanksgiving
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
While Airports across the country are feeling the strain of the Thanksgiving rush, passengers say their experience at the Columbia Regional Airport has been positive.
AAA projects nearly 80 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and Monday. While the majority of those people will travel by car, the Transportation Security Administration still expects to screen more than 2.8 million people on Tuesday, and 2.9 million on Wednesday after handling 2.5 million passengers on Monday.
Columbia Regional Airport saw 16,548 total passengers last November which was a 30% increase from 2022. While this month's numbers have yet to be released, the airport saw 20,862 in October alone, which was the largest monthly total of the year so far.
While the holiday rush has tested passengers' patients, travelers flying out of Columbia Regional Airport say they have experienced very few issues.
“It’s a lot quieter than St. Louis,” Madison Stoll said after flying in from Houston to visit her family. “It’s a bit easier to find your way around.”
Stoll added it was her first time using Columbia Regional Airport. Fatima Karkamo -- who was waiting in the airport lobby with flowers in hand -- said it was also her first time at the airport.
“I came here to pick up my sister,” Fatima said. “Columbia, I didn’t expect it to be this nice but its honestly very nice.”
While Tuesday and Wednesday are typically busy travel days, airport employees say they saw more traffic last week after University of Missouri classes were dismissed.
“I arrived last Thursday and it was really a lot busier when I left Phoenix and also when I left DFW (Dallas-Forth Worth),” said Margaret Rowells, who flew into Columbia to visit family in La Plata.
Rowells added she was surprised when she saw some of the upgrades the airport has made over the years.
“I’ve used this (airport) a number of times. I haven’t been here in quite a while but its been updated since I’ve been here and it's fabulous. It’s like a big-time place,” Rowells said. “I’m from Phoenix, and when I fly in the winter and I have to get off the plane outside, forget that. I thought I was in the wrong place when they brought the ramp right out and I walked into a building.”
Weather has not been much of a factor this week for passengers flying into Columbia. By 5 p.m. Tuesday, 70 flights across the U.S. were canceled while 3,267 more were delayed. Meanwhile Columbia Regional Airport did not have any delays or cancelations during the same 24-hour period.
