Airport, Shuttle Services In Tulsa See Increase In Passengers Ahead Of Christmas

As travelers are hitting the roads and taking to the sky to reach their holiday destinations, Oklahoma airports are finding themselves busier than normal.

Workers with Fine Airport Parking have seen the increased airport traffic firsthand.

“Between now and Christmas day, I have 9 pages of reservations that were made here... 301 total that have not come in yet that we’re still expecting in the next 2 days,” said Nathan Keylon with Fine Airport Parking.

Keylon says this is typical around this time of year and expects to reach full capacity. 

“Wednesday, Tuesday, it started kind of picking up a little bit,” he said. 

Driver Shayne Rasnic says on a normal day, he usually picks up 3 to 4 people at a time. 

“Lately, we’ve been picking up completely full shuttle loads and transporting them to and from, and it's usually been constant,” he said. 

This time of year is busy for drivers. 

“Visit with close relatives, friends that they wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise,” he said. 

Passengers Steven and Myvi Dobbs are headed to LA to visit family. They're not used to these big crowds. 

“We don’t typically fly this time of the year. Usually, we’re flying out September, something like that, and we fly back Christmas day,” said Steven. 

Passenger Katelyn Ward isn't bothered by the rush. She’s flying for the first time to spend Christmas in Atlanta with her uncle.

“I’m okay in crowds; I’m not too nervous about it,” she said. 

Frequent flier Landen is visiting his dad in San Antonio. They have lots of fun things to look forward to.

“Batting cages, mini-golf...stuff like that,” he said. 

Folks at the airport encourage people to plan ahead, arrive early, and keep all their belongings together to ensure a smooth travel day.