Orlando International Airport officials warn of crowds, longer wait times for Thanksgiving travel
Officials at the Orlando International Airport expect this holiday travel season to be the busiest since 2019.
They anticipate 1.75 million people to travel through OIA during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period that lasts from Nov. 18 through Nov. 29.
They project the busiest travel day will be on Saturday, Nov. 26, with an estimated 165,100 people traveling through the airport.
"I am surprised by how shockingly busy it is although next week is the Thanksgiving holiday. But I do think people are letting loose a bit and trying to get out and travel more," said Jane Condon, who was traveling on Thursday.
Airport officials are encouraging travelers to be patient, arrive early and plan ahead.
They anticipate longer TSA security lines as well as limited parking.
"Unknowing situations relates to the parking. That's why we tell you use the apps, look at the app, look at the website, that way you get a good feel for what is available to us. We also push messages out to those signs, so as you're coming in they'll get a message that says a garage closed or whatever garage is and they'll tell you what to use instead," says Kevin Thibault, the CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
Thibault says if parking fills up, they plan to open their West Park Place lot, which they only activate during extremely busy periods.
If you don't want to deal with parking, use a rideshare service like Uber, Lyft or a taxi.
They anticipate their garages to fill up and, potentially, some of their economy lots.
To avoid the stress of TSA lines, you can also use MCO Reserve to have a dedicated line and time to go through security.
It is recommended that you arrive at the airport three hours before your scheduled departure.