Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach International Airport is planning to undergo a major expansion, including the addition of a new security checkpoint, new gates and more dining options.

Horry County Airports Manager Scott Van Moppes shared details of the planned $35 million expansion with The Sun News on Thursday after a presentation at the county’s annual budget meeting. The funding will come primarily from the bipartisan federal infrastructure bill that was signed into law last year by President Joe Biden, according to county documents.

News of the expansion comes after the airport experienced its busiest summer last year. It added hundreds of flights each week compared to before the pandemic on airlines such as Spirit, Frontier and United. The airport has also added Southwest, the nation’s largest national airline, to its list of carriers.

While the airport hailed the accomplishments by seeing more passengers coming in and out than ever before, those accomplishments were defined by massive crowds; hours-long queues for security, rental cars and check-ins; and hundreds of frustrated customers.

Last October, the airport shared some details of its single terminal expansion plan, as well as other capital improvements. Here’s what the airport said then and what it’s adding now.

• New doors: The airport has only one terminal, but the expansion would add four to five gates at the end of the “A” gate area on the south side of the building.
• More fuel storage: The airport adds 100,000 gallons of fuel storage capacity. This will help in the event of future supply shortages, as seen with the Colonial Pipeline shutdown in May 2021.
• Security checkpoint (NEW): The existing TSA security checkpoint cannot be expanded because it is “landlocked” within its existing corridor. However, a new checkpoint will ease the pressure created by the current TSA bottleneck.
• More food options (NEW): As part of the planned terminal expansion, the airport will add more space for restaurants and retail, Van Moppes said Thursday. It is too early to know what these new food options will be.

Aside from more gates, the new security checkpoint is one of the most notable upcoming developments at the airport. Van Moppes said the new checkpoint will be the same size as the existing checkpoint but will be “more streamlined” with larger lanes for processing baggage and people.

The new lanes will have 40 to 50 percent more processing capacity than the existing security checkpoint, Van Moppes said. Due to the increased capacity, he said the airport can then move all traffic to the new checkpoint when it is complete and remodel the existing one, further increasing TSA capacity and reducing times waiting all the way.

The airport also hosted more TSA PreCheck enrollment events. With TSA PreCheck, passengers can wait in a shorter line at security, have nothing to take out of their luggage, and can keep shoes, belts, and light jackets on.

• The airport’s next TSA PreCheck event will take place April 25-29. Interested persons are encouraged to pre-register online in advance and verify that they meet all necessary requirements, including bringing relevant documents.

Some airport updates have already taken place or are in progress.

• Car rental: A The $20 million rental car fleet upgrade added covered canopies for all cars, as well as outside cabins for car pick-up. Outside cabins will save passengers from having to wait in long lines in and around the rental car building. This work has already begun and will be completed in late spring or early summer 2023.

• Luggage: The airport is adding more baggage handling capacity to ensure passengers collect their bags quickly.
• ASD Screenings: Efficiency improvements were made to TSA checkpoints to speed up the process last summer after the peak of TSA wait time issues.
• Open all year : In a recent change, the airport now keeps its entire terminal open year-round. Previously, sections of the Gate “B” area were closed as the number of flights decreased during the off-season tourist season. But thanks to increased off-season flight deals, including from the southwest, the entire building is now open all winter.

Van Moppes said the planned expansion will meet the airport’s needs for the next 20 years, as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration’s approved forecast for airport traffic. This forecast takes into account both local population growth and visitor traffic, he said.

The goal of all airport improvements, Van Moppes said, is to streamline everything for passengers: from the second they stop at the drop-off lane to check-in (including the addition of more self-check-in stations) until cleared through security. to collect the baggage of incoming passengers.

“It’s all about the passenger experience,” he said.

As for those new food options? The airport will be seeking feedback from businesses wishing to add a location inside the terminal as well as feedback from passengers.

“We’re going to do polls and see what a lot of people who are here and a lot of our followers on Facebook and see what they want,” he said.