WARNING: Record-Breaking Thanksgiving Travel Predicted for Florida

It’s the most “wonderful” time of the year?

United Airlines

Thanksgiving is officially here! While that brings all kinds of good things, from food and fun to family, it also brings hectic travel. After a record-breaking 2023, prognosticators believe 2024 will be nearly as busy, especially for those traveling to and from Florida.

According to the Orlando International Airport (MCO), the airport is expecting approximately 1.9 million passengers to travel through their airport over the course of the 12-day holiday travel period, from November 22nd, through December 3rd.

The busiest of these days is forecast to be Sunday, December 1st. Approximately 181,688 arriving and departing passengers are predicted to travel through MCO that day.

Kevin J. Thibault, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, spoke about the airport’s preparation for the heavy travel, saying “With our experience from the past two holiday seasons, Orlando International Airport is prepared for the robust influx of guests expected this Thanksgiving. Our airport staff, security partners and vendors are energized by the challenge of this year’s expected holiday surge.”

Orlando International Airport

MCO has several recommendations for travelers flying out of the airport over the holiday, including their “3-2-1 rule” which advises passengers to be at the airport ticket counter 3 hours before their flight; at the checkpoint 2 hours before; and at the gate 1 hour before departure. They also recommend that passengers “should take advantage of the Reserved Parking program and remember there are three surface lots available this year. Passengers can log in to Reserved Parking at MCO or use the newly-enhanced Orlando MCO mobile app in advance of their arrival to the airport.”

Parking is changing at MCO

Overall, AAA expects the state of Florida to see record-breaking travel across the board this Thanksgiving weekend. According to the organization, “more than 4.5 million Floridians are forecast to travel 50 miles or more during the holiday, marking an all-time high for the state.”

The heavy amount of Florida travel is a part of a larger national pattern, with AAA once again claiming that “71.7 million people nationwide will travel by car, while 5.84 million are projected to fly domestically. Both figures represent year-over-year increases, with air travel seeing a 2% boost compared to 2022 and an 11% surge compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.”

Traffic heading into Disney World

Thanksgiving 2024 looks to be a MASSIVE travel weekend, especially for those traveling from, to, and through the state of Florida. Stay tuned to AllEars for further coverage of Holiday travel.