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For the 2.5 million travelers expected at airports across the country in the coming weeks, The Springfield-Branson National Airport has a new way for holiday fliers to navigate from terminal to terminal. With more is KSMU’s Shannon Bowers.
12,000 passengers are expected to fly through Springfield-Branson National Airport from Thanksgiving day through December first. While we’ve all heard stories about crowded airports over the holidays, airport marketing manager Kent Boyd says it is a myth.
“There are probably the same amounts of fliers as there are any other given day. In reality, what happens is all the frequent fliers, the business fliers, drop out of the mix during the holidays. They are generally not flying,” Boyd said.
Boyd says it is these infrequent flyers that may not be as familiar with where their terminal is or may inadvertently hold up the security line, making the airport seem more crowded. To aid these infrequent fliers, they’re encouraged to turn to a new feature of Google Maps.
“You can get on your web browser, Google Maps. If you navigate your way on over to the airport with your screen, as you get further and further in, you will see the floor plan materialize,” said Boyd.
This new addition to Google Maps shows you the locations of the bathrooms, ticket counters, first aid stations and other essential airport services. Boyd hopes this will help travelers better prepare for their trip and allow lines to run a little smoother.
For KSMU News, I’m Shannon Bowers.