ORLANDO, Fla. — The Santa hats were few and far between inside Orlando International Airport (OIA) Thursday afternoon, which marked the fifth-busiest day of the holiday season, airport officials said.
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About 146,000 passengers were expected to arrive and depart from the four concourses over the course of the day, just slightly behind 2019 records. As usual, Mickey Mouse balloons floated overhead as passengers shuffled row by row in the 30-minute lines at the security checkpoints.
Overall, the airport saw few delays or cancellations Thursday, aside from long queues for limited parking spaces. Airport officials advised passengers to be dropped off curbside to avoid potentially missing their flights.
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In the arrivals area, people looked forward to time with family and away from work, though some people had those priorities flipped.
“Go on about 15 rides, and then just lay down for five minutes,” 9-year old Spencer Pickstok said as he waited for his parents to drive him to Universal. “I just lay down thinking, ‘I love my life.’”
Understandably, he said his parents would have trouble keeping up with him over the course of their 10-day stay.
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For those with more traditional activities planned, TSA staff asked that presents remain unwrapped through the security checkpoints, in case bags had to be searched.
Wanda Lancasto, a preschool teacher from Virginia, planned to be in town for a far shorter period of time than Pickstok visiting her grandchildren for the holiday. She, along with many other passengers, said they didn’t give any thought toward altering their plans once they figured out they were cleared to fly.
“I made my plans a month ago,” she said, raising her index finger toward heaven. “I said, ‘If y’all mess up, I’m still out.’”
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Friday and Saturday are expected to be significantly slower at the airport, at least for holiday travel. Officials said more than 115,000 people will still pass through OIA on both of those days.
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