SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Hancock International Airport officials say they are getting ready for an anticipated “robust level” of Thanksgiving week travelers. From Nov. 21 through Nov. 27, the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) is expecting more than 30,000 passengers to board flights at the airport, the SRAA announced Nov. 15. That figure is within […]
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Hancock International Airport officials say they are getting ready for an anticipated “robust level” of Thanksgiving week travelers.
From Nov. 21 through Nov. 27, the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) is expecting more than 30,000 passengers to board flights at the airport, the SRAA announced Nov. 15.
That figure is within 1 percent of the available seats for the same holiday period in 2019, which was the busiest year in three decades at the Syracuse airport and came before COVID upended travel in 2020.
“We couldn’t be happier to see people returning to Thanksgiving travel in near-record levels,” Jason Terreri, executive director of the SRAA, said in a release. “Our team is working around the clock to ensure the best airport customer experience possible for our passengers this holiday season as they reconnect with loved ones.”
To accommodate the increased demand for parking during the holiday stretch, the SRAA is constructing three new surface parking lots, which will expand parking capacity at the Syracuse airport by about 900 spaces. This will push parking capacity at the airport to roughly “three times the industry standard” for similarly sized airports, officials said.
The effort represents phase one of a much larger re-envisioning of the landside/parking at the airport, per the SRAA.
The pre-book parking option has largely sold out for the Thanksgiving stretch, but that offering represents “only a portion” of the overall parking available to travelers. The SRAA encourages those who have not pre-booked parking to monitor the airport’s official Facebook and Twitter feeds for regular parking updates during the Thanksgiving period. At peak demand times, the SRAA will provide “multiple daily updates” via its social-media channels.
Travelers should also note that the SRAA is not able to respond to individual requests for parking-status updates.
Drivers picking up arriving passengers are reminded that pick-ups now occur at the outer curb lines of the airport, adjacent each terminal. Drivers are asked to follow the color-coded signs directing motorists to the appropriate pick-up areas. The front curb line of the airport is reserved for drop offs only.
To protect the safety of pedestrians and motorists, drivers are not permitted to sit and wait along the side of Col. Eileen Collins Blvd., the SRAA said.
Local Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials recommend arriving at the Syracuse airport two hours prior to a scheduled departure, especially during peak hours.
Peak TSA checkpoint traffic at the airport generally occurs between 4:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.; 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.; and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Travelers with questions about what can and cannot pass through the TSA security checkpoint are encouraged to use the agency’s “Ask TSA” social-media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
The SRAA also announced it will offer a holiday concert series with several musical performances scheduled in the Syracuse airport’s grand hall “to help get travelers in the holiday spirit.”
The series, which features local schools and other community organizations, is scheduled between Nov. 21 and Dec. 23, the SRAA said.