Get prepared for the holiday week. Air travel expected to see near pre-pandemic levels.
Published at | Updated atIDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Regional Airport is gearing up for a busy week of holiday travel.
In a news release Tuesday from the city of Idaho Falls it said, “With the increased number of flights offered at IDA, additional airlines serving the region and reduced fares, passenger levels at the region’s busiest airport are going to see continued high volumes for the holidays.”
The travel isn’t expected to let up after the airport had about 15,000 passengers come through during Thanksgiving.
“This is just a busy time of year for the air travel industry,” said Rick Cloutier, the director at the Idaho Fall Regional Airport. “With more people wanting to go visit family they haven’t seen because of the pandemic, airports across the country are poised for some really high levels of passenger volume this holiday season.”
According to the Transportation Security Administration, about 21 million people were screened at airports across the nation over the 10-day Thanksgiving travel period. The numbers aren’t expected to drop as travelers head into Christmas and New Year’s travel.
Travelers are encouraged to plan ahead and arrive early for flights at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport.
Only ticketed passengers are allowed in the air terminal. The federal government requires all travelers to continue to wear masks at all times both in airports and on their flights.
“We are working very hard at IDA to make that experience as comfortable and convenient as possible, but we urge folks to be patient and plan for a little extra time to get through lines,” said Cloutier. “A little kindness and some preplanning will go a long way to helping make travel better for everyone.”
In the press release, airport staff said that due to the high volumes of travel expected, travelers are asked to plan ahead for parking. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, parking at the airport went over capacity. All parking fees for IDA travelers have been reduced for the holidays to the economy fare.
Overflow lots will be open on International Drive and available to increase parking capacity. These overflow lots will be free for customer parking.