Holiday travel up significantly at Columbus airport

Columbus (WCMH) – Holiday travel is back up across the nation, and in Columbus travel has increased by 58% since 2020, even with Covid-19 cases surging.

The majority of travelers NBC 4 spoke with say they’ve felt a lot safer flying out because we now have different resources to keep us healthy. At-home rapid Covid-19 tests, vaccines, booster shots, and masks have all been helping.

When children between the ages of 5 and 11 became eligible to be vaccinated, it became a game changer.

Last year, 13-year-old Sage Casey’s family didn’t travel.

“I wasn’t vaccinated at the time, and we decided that would be not safe,” said Casey.

“We’re all vaccinated so we’re feeling good about that” Casey said.

Traveler Demeo Jagana says, as someone going to Africa to visit his family, it was imperative he did everything on his end to stay healthy.

“I still want to take another test when I get home just to make sure I’m safe around my family,” said Demeo Jagana. He says it’s his first time traveling in about 6 years and says he couldn’t wait any longer to see his family.

“I just want to say happy holidays to everybody. Have fun, enjoy yourself, spend time with your family. Time is of the essence. With everything that’s going on, I think everybody understands you can’t get time back–and anything can happen at any time,” Jagana said.