Ahead of the busy holiday travel season, the Santa Barbara Airport wants travelers to be prepared for longer lines and bigger crowds.
"Just get there early. Like, give yourself plenty of time to not freak out," said traveler Catherine Oordt.
Oordt just flew in from Austin, Texas.
"I got in my Uber at 4:40 a.m.," Oordt said.
Her plan was to get to the airport early in case of unexpected delays.
"And then I stood in line for about an hour, ATX, to get through security," she said.
Even with that delay, her plan paid off and she made her flight.
Early arrival is always Cindi Karzen’s travel plan, even if it’s not the holidays.
"I have been there where we've been delayed and I've had to wait. I've been there where I almost missed my flight because of traffic," Karzen said.
Santa Barbara Airport Marketing Supervisor Angi Daus says the number of travelers has been growing since the pandemic.
"Yeah, literally, it's taking off," Daus said.
The airport expects a big wave of travelers over the holidays and Daus says the key to holiday travel is to arrive early and be prepared.
"What that means is really getting here about two hours before your flight. The biggest thing is parking. If you need to park here, it's going to be busy and very limited," Daus explained.
To ease parking stress, the airport updates the number of available parking spaces live on its website, flysba.com. ADA spots are not included in this count.
"The other thing is, you know, packing your patience. This is also the time of year when some people only travel and so if you're a regular traveler, remember that you're there with a bunch of people that might not be as seasoned as you," Daus added.
