Myrtle Beach Airport Unveils $35M Terminal Expansion Hoped to Alleviate Lines, Crowds

Apr. 8—MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Myrtle Beach International Airport is planning to undergo a major expansion, including adding a new security checkpoint, new gates and more food options.

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

The news about the expansion comes after the airport saw its busiest summer ever last year. It added hundreds of flights every week compared to before the pandemic on airlines including Spirit, Frontier and United. The airport also got Southwest, the country's largest domestic airline, added to its list of carriers.

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

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

— New gates: The airport has only one terminal, but the expansion would add four to five gates onto the end of the "A" gate area on the south side of the building.

— More fuel storage: The airport is adding 100,000 gallons in fuel storage capacity. This will help in case of future supply crunches as seen during the Colonial Pipeline shutdown in May 2021.

— Security checkpoint (NEW): The existing TSA security checkpoint cannot be expanded because it's "landlocked" in its existing hallway. However, a new checkpoint will alleviate the pressure created by the current TSA bottleneck.

— More food options (NEW): As part of the terminal's planned expansion, the airport will add more space for restaurants and retail, Van Moppes said Thursday. It's too early to know what those 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 luggage and people.

The new lanes will have a processing capacity 40-50% greater than the existing security checkpoint, Van Moppes said. Because of the increased capacity, he said the airport can then move all traffic over to the new checkpoint when it is finished and remodel the existing one, further increasing TSA capacity and reducing wait times down the line.

The airport has also been hosting more TSA PreCheck enrollment events. With TSA PreCheck, passengers can wait in a shorter line at security, don't have to take anything out of their luggage and can keep shoes, belts and light jackets on.

— The airport's next TSA PreCheck event is April 25-29. Those interested are encouraged to Pre-Enroll online ahead of time and check to make sure they meet all of the necessary requirements, including bringing relevant documentation.

There are some updates to the airport that have already occurred or are underway.

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Rental cars: A $20 million improvement to the rental car lot added covered canopies for all of the cars, as well as outdoor booths for car pickup. The outdoor booths 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 finished in late spring or early summer 2023.

— Luggage: The airport is adding more baggage handling capacity to ensure passengers get their luggage quickly.

— TSA screenings: Efficiency improvements were made to TSA screenings to speed up the process last summer after the height of the TSA wait time problems.

— Open year-round: In a recent change, the airport now keeps its entire terminal open year-round. Previously, sections of the "B" gate area would be shut off as the number of flights declined in the tourism off season. But thanks to the expanded number of off-season flight offerings, including from Southwest, the entire building is now open all winter.

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

The goal of all of the airport's improvements, Van Moppes said, is to streamline everything for passengers: from the second they pull up to the drop-off lane to checking in (including adding more self-check-in stations) to going through security to picking up baggage for incoming travelers.

"Everything is about passenger experience," he said.

As for those new food options? The airport will be seeking input both from businesses that want to add a location inside the terminal as well as hearing from passengers.

"We'll take polls and see what a lot of the people that are here and a lot of our Facebook followers and see what they want," he said.

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