Dane County Regional Airport expects increase in flights this Memorial Day Weekend

MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County Regional Airport is taking off, expecting an increase in flights and passengers this Memorial Day Weekend.

Over the last six months, The Dane County Regional Airport has seen an increase in arriving and departing flights.

According to marketing director Michael Riechers, people feel safer boarding flights with new COVID-19 guidance and vaccination rates rising.

“We know what we need to do to keep each other safe, and it’s working,” said Riechers. “It’s proof in the numbers. People are just ready to travel by air.”

Traveler Cameron Tabrizi landed in Madison for the first time today since last year.

“This was my first overseas then domestic flight to the US. I was actually away overseas in Thailand the past year so I had one trip domestically there. This was my first time coming back in over a year,” said Tabrizi.

Flights looked different to Tabrizi, but closer to normal than he expected.

“My flight was almost full, so I think there’s a lot more people. This was my first flight here during COVID so it felt, once I was in the plane, similar to before COVID,” said Tabrizi. 

Last May, the airport was seeing about 200 passengers a day. Now, that number is up to nearly 1,800.

TSA expects around 2,000 people flying through the Dane County Regional Airport tomorrow, the start of the holiday weekend.

That number is 10x more than last year.

“It was pretty sad when the terminal was quiet over the last year but seeing people come in, we can see the smiles on their faces even behind the masks and they are excited to travel,” said Riechlers. “Were excited to make it happen for them and get people out on their vacations”

While things are starting to feel back to normal, other things such as social distancing and wearing a mask will continued to be enforced.

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