TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City’s Cherry Capitol Airport is preparing for a passenger rush a spring break begins for local high schools.
The airport is asking passengers to arrive two hours ahead of their departure time in the coming weeks. That’s to allow for plenty of time to check in and to find a place to park.
Over the past couple of months, the airport parking lot has seen a 30% increase in traffic, forcing them to add two overflow lots.
“Airlines cut off baggage check-in at 45 minutes prior to departure, so you need to get that done ahead of time and then get through security,” Cherry Capital CEO Kevin Klein said. “What people forget about is that the same people in line for checking bags are going to be the same people in line at security. So, plan plenty of time ahead of time to be able to adjust for those waits.”
Cherry Capital Airport saw more than 45,000 passengers in March of last year and expects to see more than 52,000 this March.