Sunport preps for 'high volume' as U.S. holiday travel is expected to set a record

Air travel across the country is expected to be busier than ever this holiday season. That’s especially true for the Albuquerque International Sunport, which is expected to have 178,000 travelers pass through its gates between Nov. 18-27.

That would be a 22% increase from 2022 and an 11% increase from 2019, according to Sunport officials.

Those increases match up with nationwide trends, as people post-COVID continue to increase their travel during the holiday season, despite lingering inflation, hiccups — like that of Southwest Airlines’ last Christmas — and massive renovations taking place at the Sunport.

The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen more than 2.7 million passengers at airports across the U.S. on Wednesday, with Sunday expected to draw the largest volume at 2.9 million travelers — a number that would set a record.

Overall, TSA expects to screen roughly 30 million passengers from Nov. 17-28.

The Sunport, on the other hand, estimates the busiest day of travel for Thanksgiving week will be Wednesday, when roughly 20,000 passengers are expected to make their way through the Albuquerque airport. About 19,000 are expected to travel through the Sunport on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, said spokeswoman Diana López Rabadán.

“We have seen an influx of traffic all year long and expect it to continue,” Sunport Director of Aviation Richard McCurley said. “However, our staff, volunteers, concessionaires and airline partners are doing a phenomenal job managing this high volume.”

During Thanksgiving travel last year, the Sunport saw a volume of just more than 165,000, López Rabadán said. But recent efforts in bringing additional flights and airlines to the airport — Spirit Airlines started service last year — and the addition of new nonstop flights is helping the Sunport’s traffic grow in volume during the busy holiday period. The Sunport now has 29 nonstop destinations, the most it has offered in more than a decade.

“We’ve gradually seen an increase (in) passenger volumes,” López Rabadán said, adding that the recent construction taking place at the Sunport has not affected travel frequency. “We went through Balloon Fiesta with a very smooth operation — no delays.”

The Sunport plans to move the TSA area and increase its footprint by 50%. Construction on that phase of the project is nearly complete and the area should open by mid-December, López Rabadán said. Construction on the Sunport’s renovations, which include new concession areas, is expected to wrap up by December 2024.

Air travel tips

Patricia Mancha, a spokeswoman for the TSA, told the Journal in an email that people traveling by air should arrive two hours prior for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. For the Sunday morning following Thanksgiving, Mancha said, travelers flying should add an extra hour.

Items such as tamales, a popular item during the holiday season in New Mexico, are allowed in carry-on luggage, Mancha said.

Mancha said “anything that can be used as a weapon or can cause injury to other travelers” is prohibited for carry-on luggage, including common items during the holidays such as cast iron skillets and knives.

“People can travel with their firearms — we simply ask they are unloaded, packed in a hard-sided container in checked luggage and declared with their airline,” she said.