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New travel guidelines have Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport expecting a travel surge ahead of the summer.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people can now travel safely within the United States.New guidelines say fully vaccinated people don’t need to get a COVID-19 test before traveling, nor do they need to quarantine after a trip.The CDC says its guidance was updated after more people were vaccinated and health officials were able to determine the protection of the vaccine.The news also has travelers feeling safer and itching to get back out there.“It does make me excited about traveling more,” said Karen Putz, who lives in the Upstate. “It makes me safer definitely.”Airport officials say this past weekend was the busiest one the airport has seen so far in 2021. Communications manager Michelle Newman said she attributes that partially to spring break and the warmer weather.“Even as far back as February, we’ve had over 66,000 people travel through the airport, which is still far down from what it was even a year ago,” Newman said. “We’re about 64% down.”Knowing the CDC has given fully vaccinated people the thumbs up to travel within the country puts some travelers at ease.“It will make me feel a little safer,” Putz said. “They pack these airplanes elbow to elbow and there’s no avoiding coming in contact with other people.”Airport officials are expecting the slow but steady uptick it seen to continue, much unlike what the airport saw last April. Newman says last April was one of the slowest months throughout the pandemic.“We had fewer than 9,000 people through the terminal that entire month, so I think we’re going to see something very different this summer as people begin to get out and about,” Newman said. “We’re anticipating a big surge in travel and we’re preparing for that on the airport as well.”With the new travel guidelines, Newman says safety guidelines at GSP will stay in place. This means there will still be social distancing, face mask requirements and other safety precautions.She says they are getting ready for more traffic through the airport over the next few months.“As demand increases, all of our airline partners are going to be adding flights to make sure they can get people where they need to go,” Newman said. “We have added a number of destinations even during the pandemic.”For people who travel a lot and plan on getting their vaccine, the new guidelines give them some comfort getting back on board.“Being an older person, our community has been hit a little harder, it makes me feel easier about traveling,” Putz said.As far as showing proof of vaccination, Newman said there are no vaccine requirements at the airport right now. She said they’ll follow federal guidance on any form of vaccination proof.

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