Santa Barbara Airport prepares for Christmas travel rush
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — There are five more travel days for anyone needing to get to their Christmas destination.
With Christmas being on a Saturday, airport officials say it will be hard to predict which day of the holiday weekend will be the busiest. Normally airport staff sees an increase the weekend before a holiday. But, this year could be tricky to figure out which day will be the busiest.
During the week of Thanksgiving, airport staff said they saw their all-time record for travelers in a single day. More than 2,200 travelers flew through SBA in one day. And they're expected similar numbers the week of Christmas.
Airport officials encourage travelers to give themselves plenty of time to make their flights. More travelers mean busier parking lots and traffic dropping off and picking up passengers.
Angi Daus is SBA's marketing manager. She said, “Be prepared for parking. If you have to at the Santa Barbara Airport, that’s totally OK, we’ve got plenty of parking spaces, but know that both our short-term and long-term lots that are right here at the airport are going to fill up very quickly.”
More travelers also mean more lines checking in and going through security. Airport workers remind travelers to be ready for longer lines. They also said to remember their masks.
“We do need everyone to wear their masks 100% of the time that they’re in the airport and on the airplanes" said Daus. "That’s a still a federal mandate. And try to keep your distance, wash your hands. Just be aware of your surroundings.”
One traveler told NewsChannel 3-12 that the TSA line Saturday morning stretched down the stairs.
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