SRQ prepares for holiday rush following release of October numbers

Passenger levels over the past year are nearly 40% above the 12 months leading into October 2021.

By Business Observer Staff
| 2:27 p.m. November 18, 2022
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The Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport prepares for the upcoming holiday by opening additional lots to accommodate rush. (File photo)

Manatee-Sarasota

Ahead of the upcoming holiday, the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is preparing for an expected increase in vehicle parking, after the passenger numbers for the past 12 months were reported at roughly 3.78 million.

Last month alone, the airport had 308,012 passengers travel through, a 12% increase from October 2021. The airport is preparing several remote parking lots to direct travelers to once long-term parking is full in response to the increase that’s expected during the week of Thanksgiving, according to a statement.

“We look forward to welcoming travelers for the Thanksgiving holiday,” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO, says in a release. Piccolo suggests travelers arrive two hours early, check flight status and look over TSA’s website.

So far this year, there have been 3.1 million passengers. Reaching that number seemed impossible a few years ago before the airport offered 11 airlines and 53 nonstop destinations. The airport recently announced a new flight through Avelo Airlines to Raleigh-Durham International Airport that is expected to begin Feb. 13.