What’s happening at the Myrtle Beach Airport?
If you have flown into or out of the Myrtle Beach International Airport recently, you’ve probably seen that major changes are right around the corner. What was once a small, regional airport is now on the full upswing and huge expansionary changes are due to happen within the next couple of years. In the terminal, there are signs all over detailing new changes coming soon, like new restaurants and cafes and promises of shorter security lines. In this post we will try to unpack a few of these changes and outline what the airport should look like over the next few years.
1. A Major Expansion to the A Gates
Within the past week, the spokesman of the airport announced that the airport will be adding several gates to the A part of its terminal over the next several years. This expansion is due largely to the increase in flight offerings both to and from Myrtle Beach. As the area continues to grow substantially in popularity, the demand for flights continues to rise. The introduction of roughly six more gates will help to satisfy the increased demand for flights to and from the airport. This is by far the most invasive project that the airport will be undergoing over the next few years, and construction on it probably won’t begin for at least a year. Even when it begins, the construction phase will probably take at least two years. Either way, this bodes well for the airport’s future!
2. Full Time Operation of the B Gates
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 was actually the busiest summer for the Myrtle Beach International Airport ever. 2021 will be the first year in the airport’s history that it leaves the B gates open all year, as they have closed for the low season in every previous year. This increase in traffic is due largely to travelers looking to return to normalcy after Covid and the ever-increasing popularity of the Grand Strand. Airport authorities have said that Southwest Airlines is the biggest contributor to this decision, as they tend to be the main airline occupying that space. The decision to permanently open the B gates signals very strongly that the airport authorities expect a new normal when it comes to travel, and that new normal involves very high amounts of tourism!
3. Shorter Wait Times in the TSA Security Line
With the boom in travel over the summer of 2021 and its extended spillover into what would typically be the low season in the Grand Strand, the airport was certainly caught unprepared when it came to security screenings. At one point over the summer, the average wait time from entering the airport to passing through the security line was well over an hour, at around 70 minutes. This is an absurdly high figure for any airport, and a metric like this is not permissible for an airport that wants to further open its doors to tourism. As a result, the airport authorities have promised to widen the TSA screening area to accommodate more people at a time and hopefully reduce that horrible wait time metric.
4. Wider Restaurant Offering
With an increase in size and traffic for the airport should come improvements to the amenities that are offered. This is absolutely the case for the Myrtle Beach airport, as it is poised to welcome many new restaurants, store, and cafes to the airport over the next several years. The airport will even welcome a new Starbucks, which is bound to make weary travelers happy with a jolt of caffeine! The best airports are ones that people don’t mind sitting in for hours, and Myrtle Beach International Airport hopes to become an enjoyable and pleasant place for travelers. The permanent opening of the B gates should also help in this regard, as there is naturally more seating and dining available when both wings are open.
5. Improvements to the Rental Car Lot
I don’t know about you, but in my own experience, the rental car services at the Myrtle Beach airport have left a lot to be desired. One time I actually waited for three hours for the car that I had booked months in advance – no joke. Luckily, the authorities at the Myrtle Beach International Airport have caught onto that, and they have announced the details of a new project which will provide many upgrades to the rental car lot, including large canopies that will cover most of it. While the canopies will not do very much for wait times, they should at least provide a less sun-beaten or rain-soaked walk to your rental car. Don’t worry – the airport has announced that it will add counters in the rental car service building, too, so that the service times are reduced and customers can get on the road to enjoy their vacation sooner.
Hopefully now you have a little bit of a better idea of what’s going on at the Myrtle Beach Airport. Big changes are right around the corner! If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, reach out to us for help. We at The Boyd Team are always here to help you figure out whether Myrtle Beach is your next home or not, and we are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams.
Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.
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