John Glenn Columbus breaks passenger records for busiest week, February in history

Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·2 min read
Travelers move through the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus. Construction could start as early as next year on a proposed new $2-billion terminal at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, designed to provide a more efficient, more modern and more comfortable experience for travelers.
Travelers move through the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus. Construction could start as early as next year on a proposed new $2-billion terminal at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, designed to provide a more efficient, more modern and more comfortable experience for travelers.

If you traveled from John Glenn Columbus International Airport in the past week then congratulations, you helped set a record.

Around 196,000 passengers went through the airport and the Rickenbacker Passenger Terminal for the week of March 18, breaking the previous record that was set in the week of July 15, 2019.

February 2024 was also the busiest February in history with 629,621 passengers flying out of Columbus. The previous busiest February was from 2020, just a month before the COVID-19 pandemic sent travel numbers spiraling.

Is the airport back to pre-Covid passenger numbers?

The short answer is yes, Kristen Easterday, the director of communications with the Columbus Airport Authority said.

"Month by month, we are seeing increases over pre-pandemic levels," she said.

The airport has yet to surpass its annual passenger records set before the pandemic, but they're "really, really close", Easterday said.

The line for the B concourse TSA security checkpoint at John Glenn International Airport stretches back to the ticketing area Wednesday morning Dec 28, 2022.
The line for the B concourse TSA security checkpoint at John Glenn International Airport stretches back to the ticketing area Wednesday morning Dec 28, 2022.

Does a busier airport mean longer TSA lines?

Even though the airport is busier than ever, the recommendation to arrive 90 minutes before any domestic flight has not changed, Easterday said.

"We monitor TSA wait times and passenger traffic flow in general and we always let the public know if they do need to provide extra time for their travel," she said.

What new flights are coming to John Glenn this year?

There are seven new non-stop flights coming to the airport this year. They are:

  • Spirit Airlines flight to Myrtle Beach: Starting May 8, four times a week

  • Spirit Airlines flight to New York City: Starting May 8, daily

  • Frontier Airlines flight to Philadelphia: Starting May 22, three times a week

  • Frontier Airlines flight to New Orleans: Starting May 22, three times a week

  • Delta Air Lines flight to Salt Lake City: Starting June 7, daily

  • Southwest Airlines flight to San Diego: Starting June 8 on Saturdays

  • Southwest Airlines flight to Kansas City: Starting June 9 on Sundays

Where can I fly direct and non-stop from John Glenn International in 2024?

There are dozens of non-stop destinations available from John Glenn if you're looking for a change of scenery.

  • Atlanta

  • Austin

  • Baltimore

  • Cancun

  • Charleston, South Carolina

  • Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Chicago (Midway and O’Hare)

  • Dallas (Fort Worth and Love)

  • Denver

  • Detroit

  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida

  • Fort Myers, Florida

  • Hartford, Connecticut

  • Houston (Hobby and Bush)

  • Jacksonville, Florida

  • Kansas City, Missouri

  • Las Vegas

  • Los Angeles

  • Miami

  • Minneapolis

  • Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

  • Nashville, Tennessee

  • New Orleans

  • New York (JFK and LaGuardia)

  • Newark, New Jersey

  • Norfolk, Virginia

  • Orange County, California

  • Orlando, Florida

  • Palm Beach, Florida

  • Philadelphia

  • Phoenix

  • Providence, Rhode Island

  • Raleigh-Durham

  • Salt Lake City

  • San Diego

  • San Francisco

  • Sarasota/Brandentown, Florida

  • Seattle

  • St. Louis

  • Tampa, Florida

  • Toronto, Canada

  • Washington DC (Dulles and Reagan)

@PartofMyHart

NHart@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: John Glenn Columbus has busiest week, February in history