ORLANDO, Fla. – Officials with Orlando International Airport are preparing for the busiest holiday travel season they say the city has ever seen.
Nearly 3 million are expected to fly in or out of OIA during the 22-day travel period, which stretches from Dec.16 until Friday Jan. 6.
"It's difficult. There are people used to traveling and know the systems. It's going to be more congested than they're used to," airport executive director Phil Brown said.
With an expected 8 percent increase in passenger traffic, extra workers are scheduled to be in place to keep delays at a minimum.
"We're gonna be staffed up with our operations staff as well as our ambassadors to help people in and out of the airport," Brown said.
Part of achieving the goal of a seamless experience is a new mobile phone app designed to help navigate where passengers need to be, monitor wait times and keep track of parking.
"You can save your parking location," software manager Joe Furnari said. "So I can use the app. I can enter in where I parked, which helps me return to that spot."
During the influx of holiday traffic, Transportation Security Administration officials want to remind travelers to follow guidelines and be prepared.
"Our officers will be screening an additional 15,000 passengers per day, so we do want you to allow for more time," TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said.
Airport officials said more travel tips include arriving at least two hours early for flights, not wrapping packages subject to search and packing as lightly as possible. And above all, pack your patience.
"Our view is we want to try and make it a very enjoyable experience, so they'll have a great holiday," Brown said.