Guests of the the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport's grand opening reception of the terminal expansion Wednesday mingle in the expanded area. Five gates have been added to the terminal. Hunter McRae/Savannah Morning News

Airport officials unveil gate expansion.

THE ADDITION of five new gates to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport is good news for travelers, and good news for Savannah businesses.

Not only do the new gates prepare the airport for the industry trend toward larger 70- and 90-seater regional jets, the added capacity will allow Savannah to handle some 20 to 25 more flights a day.

That's means about a third more flights than the airport currently handles.

In a tourism-heavy economy like Savannah's, the ability to bring in more people at a time and get them here on more flights per day translates into increased business for the hotels, restaurants and shops that cater to tourists.

That added capacity also means more space for new carriers such as Jet Blue or Southwest, which airport administrators can now start courting to some to Savannah.

"Before we did the expansion, we didn't have any open gates, which meant if a new carrier came in, they would have had to work with another airline," said Patrick Graham, the airport's executive director.

When the new area goes into use at the end of the coming week, U.S. Air and United will each expand to two gates. Both airlines use the larger regional jets.

In addition to the gates, there is also a new concession area. While the airport has always had a Burger King beyond the security checkpoint, the new area will add sit-down seating at Dewar's Clubhouse Bar & Grille. The expansion will also feature a Starbucks and a gift shop called Hilton Head Marketplace.

The $14.2 million price tag for the expansion has been funded by Airport Improvement Program grants and passenger facility charges. Both of these funding sources are supported by fees paid by airline travelers - not taxes.

Choate Construction completed the project in 12 months - right on schedule - under the direction of project managers URS Corporation and the Pelotte Corporation.

Mr. Graham, the airport board and those directly involved in the construction should be commended for seeing the project through to completion in a manner that did not inconvenience travelers.

(The Savannah City Council also deserves a pat on the back for being willing to take on the ultimate responsibility for the success of the expansion project.)

But the airport's growth will not stop with the new gates opening Thursday. Construction continues on improvements to parking facilities, which will even include equipment to guide drivers to open parking spaces.

Even more growth could come in the future, if the airport maintains its average of 6 or 7 percent passenger growth each year. Mr. Graham said at that rate, the airport will go from serving 1 million departing passengers a year to about 1.5 million within about 7 years.

At that point, another terminal expansion will likely be needed to accommodate the added business.

But the need to expand to meet business demands is the kind of problem our airport managers, and the rest of the community, should be glad to have.

In a tourism-heavy economy like Savannah's, the ability to bring in more people translates into increased business for hotels, restaurants and shops.