GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — We know more snow, strong winds and arctic air are coming, but Gerald R. Ford International Airport is still anticipating pre-pandemic travel levels this holiday season.
They expect roughly 165,000 people will come through the airport between December 20 and January 2.
That matches the record number of holiday travelers from 2019.
Flight cancellations could happen, but the airport is as ready as it can be.
“Mother Nature will have somewhat of a say in what happens on our operations,” said Alex Peric, chief operating officer at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. “We train for this type of weather all year round. We are staffed up, we've almost doubled our staff to address the winter snow operations, we've got a lot of equipment, the equipment is maintained throughout the year, we invest around $10 to $12 million in our snow removal equipment for times like these. So, we are staffed up, we are prepared, and we have the resources to address this coming winter weather.”
Here are some things travelers can do to be prepared:
Keep tabs on the weather.
- Check with your airline.
- Check for any delays or rescheduled flights through the Fly Ford app or the airport's flight tracker online.
- Arrive at least two hours before your flight leaves
- If you're bringing Christmas presents with you, keep them unwrapped in case TSA needs to inspect the box.
