by Tammy Baxley, public information officer, Myrtle Beach International Airport

On Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, Myrtle Beach International Airport celebrated achieving a milestone of welcoming 1,000,000 passengers to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This is the first time in the history of MYR to achieve this milestone in a calendar year.  

Year-to-date October 2017, Spirit Airlines has flown 55 percent of all arriving seat capacity at MYR, followed by American with 17 percent, Delta with 13 percent, Allegiant with 12 percent, United with 3 percent, WestJet with 0.5 percent, and Porter with .2 percent.

 “When air carriers introduce new nonstop service or add capacity from existing markets to the Grand Strand it provides the traveling public more flight options, while directly benefiting our community, said Scott Van Moppes, director of airports for Horry County. “Over the past several years, our airline partners have added an incredible amount of capacity at the Myrtle Beach International Airport during our spring, summer and fall seasons. As a result of increased capacity plus being the preferred airport in the region, serving one of the most popular destinations and fastest growing markets in the United States, passenger volumes have increased in our target seasons at a phenomenal rate. We want to thank all of our airline partners for their continued commitment to our airport and marketplace.”

This milestone was celebrated at MYR on Nov. 2nd when the one millionth passenger of 2017 arrived shortly on Spirit Airlines flight 843 from Chicago. Passengers walked off the plane to a surprise welcome party, featuring local mascots, refreshments, music and gift bags. One lucky passenger, Ronald Nevsimel from Richland County, Wisconsin, who was traveling with his wife, Peggy, their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, received 1 million free miles from Spirit, along with tickets to numerous attractions along the Grand Strand, including golf courses, spa treatments, restaurant gift certificates, $100 shopping card, and more from member businesses of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber.

“We are delighted to help the Myrtle Beach International Airport celebrate this amazing milestone,” said Brad Dean, CEO and president of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. “We have worked tirelessly with the city, Horry County and the Department of Airports to increase the number of nonstop flights and nurture relationships with airlines to make it easier for people to visit the Grand Strand. Last year, we set a goal to reach one million deplanements by the year 2020, and I am thrilled to see us reach that mark in 2017.”