ORLANDO, Fla. — Travelers continue to come in and out of Orlando International Airport as the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaches.
What You Need To Know
- Orlando International Airport officials expect that more than 1.5 million travelers will pass through during the Thanksgiving holiday travel season
- According to AAA, Orlando is the No. 1 destination during the Thanksgiving holidays
- Numbers from the airport so far show that traveler numbers are at, or above, what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic
The airport is expecting more than 1.5 million travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday season — Nov. 19-29.
Of the top 10 domestic cities for travelers this Thanksgiving, AAA data shows eight are in places with warm climates. New York and Atlanta crack the top 10, but Tampa and Fort Lauderdale do as well, with Orlando showing to be No. 1.
Entering the baggage claim area at OIA, you don’t need many guesses as to where Krista Thomas and her daughter are headed this week — they both have T-shirts that say “Disney Bound.”
The school teacher from Texas said this trip has been in the making for months. She said the welcome she and her daughter got when they hopped on the airport tram to their luggage got her ready to start her vacation.
“We did hear on the tram on the way over how its open,” Thomas said, holding her daughters hand. “Just being cautious still, but being glad we can somewhat still start to get back to life and pre-pandemic, if that is even possible.”
Passenger numbers from the airport show that things right now are a little better than then were in 2019: On Nov. 22 of that year, MCO saw 131,800 travelers; on Monday there were nearly five thousand more at 136,700
Rollins College Professor David Painter spent 15 years in hospitality and 20 years in public Relations. He said Orlando checks all the boxes for those looking to vacation this time of year.
“I think from the top down, the message in Florida is we are open for business,” he said. “We are here, come enjoy our great weather, our great experiences and our great people.”
Thomas said she already has her plans in order.
“We are going to see all the parks,” she said. “We did a park hopper ticket, so we are going to be at different parks every day, so it will be a busy week. We rented an Airbnb so we can have a whole house.”
Thanksgiving travel in and out of Orlando International is just 2.5% less than 2019 travel numbers. Thanksgiving hotel bookings, according to VisitOrlando, are 90% what they were during the same time frame in 2019.
Even with all the travelers coming to Orlando, airport officials made a point to remind local residents that if they plan to depart from Orlando this week, they should expect longer lines at ticket counters and fewer parking spaces in the parking garages.