Myrtle Beach air traffic continues to rise, bodes well for golf travelers

A traditional “drive-to” destination, it seems more and more Myrtle Beach visitors are taking to the skies.

Myrtle Beach International Airport is reporting its best July on record for traffic, beating levels from pre-economic downturn levels in 2005. The Grand Strand received over 117,000 passengers in the month alone. The local paper, the Myrtle Beach Sun News, has a more in depth look at the numbers, click here for the article.

Part of the success is due to new non-stop destinations in the Midwest like Chicago (Spirit Airlines) and Grand Rapids (Allegiant Air), plus additional service to Atlanta and New York City, while Delta has begun flying larger planes into MYR. It’s helped give the destination a more national appeal for both the summer beach crowds and golf travelers.

It’s good news for golf travelers. The bigger and more competitive an airport gets, it usually it means lower fares for everyone - which helps keep the destination a good value. Back when I lived in Myrtle Beach, I would routinely fly out of Wilmington, well over an hour north, to get a better fare to the Midwest, and sometimes friends would fly into Charleston, about two hours to the south, and have me go pick ‘em up - and we’d end up spending a day or two down there before driving back up for golf.

MYR is located just a sniff off the beach in the heart of Myrtle Beach near the Highway 501 and Highway 17 bypass intersection, so if you’re smart with planning, you could even bypass the rental car completely. Click here for my recent feature on the Grand Strand’s top centrally located golf courses.

With the end of summer approaching and fall golf season around the corner, click here to check out some Myrtle Beach golf packages if you’re getting the Grand Strand itch.