Columbia Regional Airport prepares for upcoming United Airlines flights

On August 2nd, United Airlines will start Columbia flights to and from Denver and Chicago.

With the new additions, the airport is reminding passengers to arrive earlier than usual. Mike Parks, Columbia Regional Airport manager, said the airport will have extra staff to assist with the transition.

“We just ask people to show up just a little bit early until we get a rhythm with all the new passengers coming in,” Parks said.

United Airlines will offer a new, daily flight to Denver International Airport as well as two additional flights to Chicago O’Hare.

American Airlines is currently the only airline at the airport, providing daily flights to Chicago and Dallas.

Parks said American Airlines continues to see more and more passengers using its service every year.

“They continue to exceed their numbers from the year before,” Parks said. “They have great enplanements and great deplanements for 2017 compared to 2016.”

So far in 2017, 36,964 passengers have boarded planes at Columbia Regional, compared to this point in 2016, when 29,995 boarded.

Parks attributes the increase in numbers to more people realizing the benefits of Columbia Regional, along with advertisements the city has paid for.