Miami, Fort Lauderdale airports see crowds Thanksgiving week. How early should you arrive?
Travel is expected to be near pre-pandemic levels for Thanksgiving, with Fort Lauderdale forecast to be one of the top destinations in the country for the holiday, AAA says.
The surge of travelers will be a test for airlines, which have been grappling with staffing shortages that at times, when mixed with bad weather, have caused carriers, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, to delay or cancel thousands of flights.
“People are wanting to travel, wanting to go see family over the holiday or travel over the holiday,” said American Airlines CEO Doug Parker during the Skift Aviation Forum 2021 on Nov. 17. “It’s going to be a busy holiday season and we’re ready for it and excited about it.”
David Pekoske, the Transportation Security Administration top official, also said on “CBS Mornings” last week he didn’t expect the federal vaccine mandate would affect TSA staffing for Thanksgiving travel.
And airports are already bustling with passengers again, with millions also expected to hit the road this holiday season.
Airports bustling, Fort Lauderdale top destination, AAA says
Fort Lauderdale is the No. 9 most popular destination in the U.S. for the Thanksgiving holiday, with Tampa at No. 8, according to AAA booking data. The top travel destination is Orlando, home to Disney World and Universal Studios. Cruises are also back.
“It’s beginning to look more like a normal holiday travel season, compared to what we saw last year,” said Debbie Haas, AAA vice president of travel in a news release. “Now that U.S. borders are open, vaccinations are readily available, and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans who are ready to reunite with their loved ones for the holidays.”
At Miami International Airport, the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period (Friday, Nov. 19 to Tuesday, Nov. 30) is forecast to be the busiest it’s been since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, with nearly 1.7 million passengers expected to walk through its terminals.
The number of passengers the airport saw this weekend — more than 149,000 on Friday and Saturday and more than 158,000 on Sunday — has already surpassed its daily projections, MIA spokesman Greg Chin said Monday afternoon.
Sunday was also the airport’s all-time second busiest day ever, he said. The airport hasn’t been this busy since January 2020.
Robert Teixeira was one of the many passengers waiting to board his flight to Boston at MIA on Tuesday. Traveling during the holidays in the midst of a pandemic is a first for him — literally.
“First time traveling, period,” he said.
The 28-year-old had never left Boston until his cousin convinced him to go on vacation with her to the Bahamas, he said.
Other passengers like University of Miami student Victor Paulino, 25, and his wife, Milagros Canada, 28, are traveling to spend Thanksgiving with family. The couple had an Uber drop them off about two hours before their New York flight departure to make sure they had time to check in.
However, not everyone is traveling because of the holiday.
Nicole Mateo, 26, and her husband, Leonardo Mateo, 33, arrived to MIA after vacationing in the Dominican Republic. The couple, who were on their way to Boston, were surprised to see that the airport was so busy. They hadn’t realized they would be traveling during the holiday rush.
“We didn’t think of Thanksgiving when we booked the trip, clearly,” Nicole Mateo said.
“No turkey this year,” she added.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, travel is also inching closer to pre-pandemic levels. FLL officials expect about 604,000 passengers will pass through its terminals from Tuesday, Nov. 23, through Monday, Nov. 29, about 26% more than what was seen last year but still 25% less than in 2019.
“Even though 2021 has had its challenges amid the ongoing pandemic, we are thankful for the strides taken to return more normalcy to our lives,” said FLL CEO and Director of Aviation Mark E. Gale in a news release. “At FLL, we’re equally grateful for the continued support of the traveling public and wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.”
AAA expects travel in Florida will be 2% below pre-pandemic levels, with nearly 2.9 million Floridians expected to travel for Thanksgiving. This means people should prepare for the roads and airports to be more crowded than last year.
Tips for Thanksgiving travel
Air travel:
▪ Masks are still required inside all U.S. airports and airlines due to a federal mandate.
▪ MIA is recommending passengers arrive at the airport at least two and a half hours if they have a domestic flight and at least three and a half hours if they have an international flight to allow enough time for check-in and security checkpoint screenings. You can use the MIA QueueAnalyzer on MIA’s mobile app and website to get real-time updates on security checkpoint wait times.
▪ MIA’s busiest day is expected to be Sunday. FLL’s busiest days are expected to be Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
▪ Check in online with your airline before arriving at the airport and use online trackers to see if your flight is on time, delayed or canceled.
▪ Consider getting dropped off at the airport as parking might be difficult to find. If you’re planning to drive, look up the airport’s parking options to see where you should park and how much it costs.
Road trip:
▪ Hit the road when there’s less traffic. AAA says the best times are after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, before 11 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and before noon on Saturday and Sunday. AAA says the busiest days to be on the road will be Wednesday and Sunday. The lightest traffic will be on Thanksgiving Day.
▪ It won’t be easy to find cheap gas since prices have surged, but you can use free apps like GasBuddy and Waze to find the cheapest gas station near you. You can also use the interactive map below to see a county-by-county view of Florida’s current gas prices.
This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 11:47 AM.
