ORLANDO, Fla. – On a night that is typically busy at Orlando International Airport, the lines for security were short to nonexistent.
Michael Lux said that he and his daughters are heading home to Austin after spending a week at Orlando’s theme parks. He said that once they return, they plan to invite family over for Thanksgiving, but he understands if some family members don’t feel comfortable attending, given their recent travels.
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“Compared to what we are used to, this is a ghost town. For sure,” Lux said. “We didn’t post anything on social media for this specific reason and I don’t want to be socially shamed for traveling or whatever. But again, we’ve been careful. We’ve done everything we can to protect ourselves and others.”
Airport officials estimated about 36,000 passengers were expected to pass through on Wednesday. A year ago on the same day, airport officials said about 150,000 passengers travelled through the airport.
Braden Bushman said that he and his family are heading back to Daytona, Ohio. Despite health officials urging people not to travel, he said that it’s a family tradition that he didn’t want to miss.
“Orlando has done a great job. It’s kind of empty, which is nice. You don’t have to worry about standing in a line through security.” Bushman said. “It’s something we’ve done for approximately 15-16 years, it’s something important for us. It’s a time to get away from our everyday lives in order to come down here and just enjoy some time away.”
Airport officials said that Sunday is expected to be the busiest travel day with around 40,000 passengers.