TULSA, Okla. — 2020 was a financial strain for many businesses, especially the travel industry.
The Tulsa International Airport felt the strain of the pandemic first hand, according Andrew Pierini, director of air service with TIA.
“Our revenues for the year were about 30 percent down from where they were in 2019," Pierini said.
With spring break officially here, the airport is seeing numbers it has not seen since the start of the pandemic.
“Friday was actually the first time we had over 4,000 people in our checkpoint for the first time in over a year," Pierini said.
This is certainly good news for the shops inside the airport forced to close last year.
"Those have been slowly ramping back up and getting increased hours, and this will certainly help that for sure,” Pierini said.
It's not just the airport looking forward to spring break, so is Shannon Dugan, who is sending her daughter to Destin, Florida.
"Spending some time so that she can have some sun and a little break from all of the lockdowns," Dugan said.
Dugan said she is comfortable sending her daughter on this trip because she is responsible enough to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. But more importantly, Dugan said after a year of restrictions, it's time for her daughter to get her childhood back.
“Kids are kids. They like to get out and do things, "Dugan said. "So, they were kind of getting cabin fever during the whole thing.”
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