Maybe it’s the golf or maybe it’s the sun, and the sand and the beaches.
Whatever it is, people are flocking to South Carolina and Myrtle Beach International Airport is growing.
What used to be a great place to go for a vacation in the summer has turned into a year-round destination. The summer is still considered the tourism season and the premier time to go to the area. And the airport is growing by expanding its terminal and adding more parking and more flights from ultra-low-cost carriers such as Breeze Airways and Spirit Airlines.
“As far as scheduled seats, I think the (travel season) is going to be on par with the last couple of years,” Assistant Director of Airports Ryan Betcher said. “It starts bulking up in April and then May is when we start seeing those heavy increases. But it’s definitely expanding into the shoulder season compared to what it was years ago.”
Betcher said they will start construction soon on an additional remote parking lot south of the terminal building – or just a long par-4 from your flight.
“That will help us flow when there are peak demand periods,” Betcher said.
In June, a 45,000-square-foot terminal expansion will begin that will add six more gates to the facility. That will bring the total number of gates to 18.
“We are ready for it,” Betcher said. “With the terminal expansion kicking off, we are not removing any existing gates. We are not going to be operating with fewer gates so it should be business as usual for us.”
The airlines are certainly doing their part to fill those gates.
Later this month, Breeze comes to Myrtle Beach, bringing the total number of carriers to 11. Breeze will fly to Hartford and Providence.
“Hartford is one of the top demand markets for MYR, and these flights are an excellent, much-needed option for travelers,” Director of Airports Judi Olmstead said. “We’re thrilled to see another market announced by Breeze and can’t wait for the airline to begin its service to Providence.”
Spirit Airlines, the largest carrier at Myrtle Beach International Airport, is starting nonstop service to nine cities this spring: Atlantic City, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Hartford, Latrobe, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
A Spirit Airlines spokesman said the carrier is also increasing service to Fort Lauderdale and Newark to two daily flights beginning April 10.
“The new routes grow Spirit’s MYR service to 14 nonstop destinations, continuing to hold its position as the largest airline in Myrtle Beach by departing flights,” the spokesman said.
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