As near-record numbers of travelers took to the skies this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, those booking flights faced the prospect of delays at Florida airports, including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, which topped a recent survey’s ‘worst” list of airports for tardy holiday takeoffs and landings in 2023.
Upwards of 80 million U.S. travelers, according to AAA, are expected to fly or drive this week for a Thanksgiving travel hiatus in the wake of a presidential election that raised uncertainties about the economy’s future and a variety of other facets of life.
“With the election over and everything falling into place, people will travel more,” said Peter Ricci, director of the hospitality and tourism management program at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business. “They know the outcome. I like the term, ‘throw caution to the wind.’ I don’t know how long it will last, but it’s holding up pretty well for Florida. We’re doing very well as a destination.”
The Fort Lauderdale airport said its 12-day Thanksgiving holiday forecast for last Friday through next Tuesday, stood at nearly 1.3 million travelers “with an average daily passenger count of 107,425.” It said it expects to serve more than 744,000 people between Tuesday and next Monday, a period it termed as its “traditional seven-day Thanksgiving travel period.” The latter figure is a 2% decline from the 760,000 travelers projected last year.
Management cited a small year-over-year decline in scheduled flights. While the airport did not mention any names, Dania Beach-based Spirit Airlines, the big discounter now flying under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has said it cut systemwide capacity for its fourth quarter.
Popular Fort Lauderdale
“Still, FLL expects above-normal activity for this travel period, buoyed by record-breaking industry predictions and other trends indicating Fort Lauderdale’s popularity for Thanksgiving trips,” the airport said in a statement. The airport’s busiest days are expected to be Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, with an average of 106,000 passengers served daily.
Miami International Airport said it is expecting nearly 1.9 million passengers during the 12-day Thanksgiving Day travel period from last Friday through next Tuesday. That’s an average daily flow of 157,000 travelers, “and a 2% increase over last year’s record numbers,” the airport said in a statement. The busiest days were expected to be this past Saturday, this coming Saturday and Sunday.
“MIA hasn’t had any delays due to FAA staffing issues so far,” spokesman Greg Chin said in an email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Yesterday, arrivals were 86.03% on time and departures were 82.23% on time, which is above average.”
Palm Beach International Airport expects 35,000 to 40,000 passengers will travel through the airport daily “for the next several days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday,” spokeswoman Nicole Hughes said in an email.
Staffing, not weather, looms as a problem
Since late last week, it was hard to make an argument against visiting Florida — or, conversely, leaving the Sunshine State — as clear skies and deliciously lower temperatures in the 60s dominated the weather picture.
But a week ago, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration warned a shortage of air traffic controllers could cause flight delays. And service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, an important East Coast airline hub, went on strike over pay and working conditions.
Those types of labor-related problems, along with weather, are typically responsible for airport delays along the Atlantic coast.
Earlier this month, a travel guide called LocalsInsider.com ranked Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International among the top 10 worst airports in the nation for holiday travel. The study looked at flight departure data during the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday seasons from the 50 busiest airports in the United States.
It found that nearly 3 in 10 or more than 2,600 flights were delayed or canceled last holiday season at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood. Its data analysis also placed Orlando International, Tampa International and Southwest Florida International, which serves the Fort Myers area, in the top 10 for delays or cancellations.
Last-minute bookings
Ricci of Florida Atlantic University said South Florida-area hoteliers are reporting a spate of bookings from last-minute travelers.
Hotel room prices “are pretty stable over last year,” he said. But airline ticket prices are rising while the price of a gallon of gasoline is declining. That raises the likelihood of more people driving to their destinations.
“It’s a combination of busy schedules and not being aware of whether you’ll have the free time until the last minute,” he said of the last-minute travelers. “Some think if they wait longer they’ll get the best deals.”
“Maybe people were waiting to see how the weather was,” he said.
Advice from the airports
Given the South Florida airports’ expectations for a surge in Thanksgiving travel, all of them were offering similar advice for people flying out of town:
- Arriving at the airport: Show up no less than two hours before your flights to give yourself additional time to park cars, check bags and pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.
- Parking: FLL has curbside valet service and self-parking garage parking for $20 long-term and $2 per 20-minute intervals for drop-offs or pick-ups of passengers. The airport recommends being dropped off by family, friends, or ride-share services. An overflow parking lot likely will be activated. “Download the free FLL Airport App for information on parking, flights, restaurants, and shops before arriving at the airport,” the airport advises.
- Luggage tracking: Check with airlines, many of which have apps for tracking after check-in. Air Tags are another option.
- Weapons: Follow TSA protocols to pack and transport licensed firearms safely as checked luggage. Don’t show up with a gun at a TSA checkpoint. You could be arrested and face a hefty penalty.
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