Holiday travelers are showing signs they are ready to go this season.
Already flights are heavily booked at the Santa Barbara airport starting this week, well ahead of the traditional Thanksgiving week four to five day schedule.
Airport Marketing Specialist, Angi Daus says, for the year overall this will be the busiest in its history.
At the end of October, the passenger count exceeded a million for the first time. It nearly got there in 2019, but fell short.
Even with the increased number of travelers, the scene has not been chaotic as is often seen at airports.
The farthest parking lot from the terminal, on Hollister Avenue, has a 24-hour shuttle every 15 minutes.
The airport currently offers service from four airlines and the passenger count is up 20 percent from 2019.
On average the planes are carrying about 109 passengers. In 2004, smaller planes were used with a passenger average of 42.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has new technology in place to make baggage check easier and less complicated for the passengers.
Daus says passengers counts are increasing starting this weekend. She says some of the very early morning flights are usually crowded and require an early arrival. She suggests you check with the airlines and go over the TSA rules on what you can take on board, in what sizes, and especially the quantities of liquids.