Thanksgiving travel at OIA increases over 14% from previous year

12-day travel period which runs between Nov. 18 and Nov. 29

Orlando International Airport prepares for busiest Thanksgiving travel since start of pandemic

ORLANDO, Fla. – Travel over the first four days of the Thanksgiving holiday travel period at the Orlando International Airport is already “exceeding expectations,” according to airport officials.

Last week, airport CEO Kevin Thibault predicted there will be 1.75 million passengers at the airport during the 12-day travel period, which runs between Nov. 18 and Nov. 29.

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Officials predicted that passenger traffic was going to be 10% higher than last year – and on par with 2019 pre-pandemic numbers – but so far it is up 14.5% higher than 2021 with an increase of 78,000 passengers.

The busiest day at Orlando International Airport is projected to be the Saturday after Thanksgiving with approximately 165,100 passengers, according to Thibault.

Airport officials encourage travelers to be patient, arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to your flight’s departure and to download the Orlando MCO Airport app for up-to-date parking information.

Passengers can also make a security checkpoint reservation through MCO Reserve.

Further details about getting around the airport can be found here.


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About the Author

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.

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