Busy holiday travel period gets underway
MIAMI - The Christmas and New Year holiday travel period is kicking into high gear.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is anticipating that a little more than 2 million passengers will pass through its terminals from December 21, 2023, to January 6, 2024. During this 17-day timeframe, the airport expects to serve approximately 118,000 passengers daily, with its busiest days slated for December 22, 23, 26, 30, and January 2. This year's holiday passenger forecast is about 14% busier than the 2022-23 year-end travel period.
Miami International Airport is expecting more than 2.7 million passengers during the same 17-day travel period, a daily average of 162,000 travelers. That would be a 6.1 percent increase over last year's record-breaking travel season.
On Thursday, Mandy Pfau and her family were heading to Aruba.
"Every year, I'm 21 and I've been going for 19 years, family tradition, 20 people," she said. "Santa comes to the pool and wishes Merry Christmas to everyone, it's a great experience."
Peak travel days at Miami International are expected on December 22-23, December 26-30, and January 2-6, when daily traffic will most likely exceed 165,000 travelers.
This past Sunday, 171,371 passengers passed through the airport's terminals, marking the highest single-day passenger count in its history.
In addition to getting to the airport early, travelers should be prepared for the TSA screenings.
Wear easily removable shoes. Have an appropriate ID and your boarding pass out and ready to go. Standard screening requires that you take your laptop out of your bag
Follow the 3-1-1 rule for liquids or gels in your carry-on, and avoid anything that looks like a weapon.
When it comes to guns, don't bring them through the TSA line.
"In the instance where we have someone bring the firearm through the checkpoint they can face arrest and a fine of almost 15,000 dollars," said Stephen Tabor, the federal security director at Miami International.
You can travel with a firearm but it must be in a checked bag, unloaded, and in a locked hard case. It also must be declared to the airline.
If you must take a carry-on bag, make sure it is well-organized. The most common thing that slows down a traveler at a TSA checkpoint is having a prohibited item in a carry-on bag, which is why it is important for travelers to "Know Before You Go" by knowing the contents of their carry-on bags and ensuring that everything that they pack inside is permitted to be carried onto a flight.