Charleston International Airport preparing for busy Memorial Day weekend

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Three million passengers are expected to take to the skies nationwide over Memorial Day weekend and officials at Charleston International Airport (CHS) are preparing for the surge.

Spencer Pryor, the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Communications Officer for CHS, said that nearly 10,000 people per day have been passing through the TSA checkpoint lately, and he expects that number to increase as summer travel gets in full swing.

As airport crowds grow, officials recommend budgeting extra time to ensure a smooth process. For domestic flights, a two hour cushion should be enough to park, check in, go through security, and get to the terminal. Three hours is recommended for international flights.

While officials urge passengers to arrive early, they also caution that some flights might arrive late — or not at all. Pryor said flight delays and cancellations could be attributed to “a number of things: sick call outs, bad weather,” a pilot shortage, etc. The best way to stay up to date on your flight status is to keep in touch with your airline, most of which have apps that will send alerts to your phone should the status of your flight change.

Travelers seem to be comfortable with the risk for delayed or cancelled flights, though. Pryor said that “every day the terminal is full of people.”

Officials at CHS expect Monday and portions of Tuesday to see the highest passenger return rate after the holiday weekend.