More than 117,000 passengers were expected to pass through Orlando International Airport on Wednesday, but the security wait times remained reasonable into the evening hours.
- More than 117,000 travelers expected Wednesday, Nov. 23
- The busiest day expected to be Saturday, Nov. 26: 133,905
- Security lines averaged 10-15 minutes on Wednesday
"It seems they're prepared," said Anthony Cabrera, who was flying from Orlando to Chicago on Wednesday night ahead of Thanksgiving. "They're prepared for the holidays."
Security wait times averaged between 10-15 minutes on Wednesday.
It's expected to be a record-setting travel season at Orlando International Airport. Predictions based on airline seat reservations show a 9.4 percent jump over last year.
"(You have to) get here early," Cabrera said. "I know they said two hours, but we're like, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. ... Check-in was pretty quick."
The airport does have some new pieces of technology this season, including state-of-the-art sensors that accurately monitor and report passenger wait times are security checkpoints.
"It is pretty good compared to like an hour or 45 minutes coming from Chicago," Cabrera said. "And actually, for it being a Wednesday and tomorrow being Thanksgiving, it's a pretty short wait."
New amenities like digital displays and information boards are also being installed as the airport undergoes a $1 billion renovation and expansion project.
"The airport, they seem like they're doing the right things and taking the right measures to avoid a lot of heavy traffic at the security checkpoints," Cabrera said.
Airport officials expect more than 1.4 million travelers during the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period, from Thursday, Nov. 17, to Monday, Nov. 28.