SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The early Thanksgiving travel rush begins this weekend. It's expected to be a record-breaking year with tens of millions of people traveling for the holiday. To help combat this, the Savannah Hilton Head Airport is one step ahead. Sporting a new look: a new security checkpoint.
An early holiday gift to travelers this season: shorter TSA wait times. Officials said going through security before felt "condensed," but now security lines and getting screened has never before been smoother, or faster.
A six -lane security checkpoint, providing travelers with an early holiday present. Only about a week old, the airport has expanded its checkpoint, cutting wait times and improving the travel experience. Funded with a 5-million-dollar federal grant, the upgrade is part of ongoing efforts to handle the record number of passengers. The project is part of a broader infrastructure improvement plan to help with the region's growing population while boosting the local economy.
"It is already open. The whole new checkpoint is open and operating. So, we now have 6 lanes for when it is really busy for TSA. It is really has helped us with the throughput (of travelers). Things are going much more smoothly. We have brought in (introduced) CLEAR, and of course precheck also," said Lori Lynah, the Director of Marketing and Air Service Development at the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport.
Lynah predicts the new checkpoint will cause no problems for TSA wait times. She said even during their busiest time this summer, wait times were around 30 minutes. With this new checkpoint she doesn't expect the wait to top 15 to 20 minutes.
Throughout Friday morning's travel, TSA employees received plenty of positive feedback from local travelers seeing the renovations for the first time. TSA employees told WSAV that they are happy also. With the new floor to ceiling windows that allows natural light to shed into the security checkpoint, they can now view the sunrise or sunsets while on the job.
There are also other projects currently in progress at the airport.
Future projects include: four new gates, 1,000 additional parking spaces with electric vehicle charging, and a 36-acre air cargo facility. Travelers can also expect updates like updated flooring in the airport to enhance the airports look and functionality.
- Four New Gates: Expanding terminal capacity with shared hold room space and public amenities. The terminal concourse expansion also will add public restrooms, and new tenant lease space.
- Auxiliary Parking Lots: Currently under construction, there will be an additional 1,000 parking spaces with three pedestrian bridges, shuttle access, and EV charging stations. The project will consist of constructing two asphalt surface parking lots. There will also be canopy additions, and a shuttle bus turnaround area.
- Air Cargo Facility: Enhancing logistics with dedicated spaces for cargo activities and wide-body aircraft. There will be two facilities, one that includes an administrative office, and a package warehouse. Both buildings will be over 61,000 square feet.
For more information on the ongoing developments of the airport click here.
Officials say they have been wanting to update the new security checkpoint for years and are happy to see progress. As for the current wall that is blocking the view of the gates, airport officials say they hope to replace that with a glass wall so you can see into the airport when walking in, along with replacing this carpet when you walk down the hallway towards the security checkpoint.