Charleston Airport sees record travel over Memorial Day weekend

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Charleston International Airport said it saw a record number of travelers over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Officials said the airport recorded a 15% (7,692) increase in passengers traveling through the TSA checkpoint compared to the same time last year.

They said the increase also surpasses totals for the same period in 2019, pre-COVID, by 31%.

The busiest day at the airport was on the holiday itself with 11,680 passengers on Monday, May 29.

A combined total of 38,689 travelers passed through the airport between Thursday and Sunday, with an additional 10,172 passengers on the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

“Our airline partners are seeing strong bookings and that’s a sign that it’s going to be a busy summer,” said Elliott Summey, Charleston International Airport Executive Director and CEO. “Several of our airlines have increased the number of daily flights and are flying larger aircraft. That means more people have more choices when flying to and from Charleston.”

Charleston International Airport said Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of the summer travel season.