Orange County

Influx of holiday travelers causes delays at OIA

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tens of thousands of people are packing into Orlando International Airport Sunday as their holiday vacations come to an end.

Sunday is supposed to be the second-biggest traveling day in this 12-day Thanksgiving holiday stretch, according to airport officials.

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Airport officials said numbers are now reaching pre-pandemic levels, and at least 150,000 people will be making their way through the terminals on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, the TSA line stretched from one side of the terminal to the other.

“I’ve never seen that in my life. It’s just a lot of busy lines. Lines everywhere.,” said traveler Ian Bren.

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Not only were lines inside the terminals causing delays, the influx of people affected parking at airport lots.

“I had somebody drop me off, so that was really nice,” said Joe Slabems. “Traveling during the Thanksgiving period has been very smooth.”

“It’s not the worst-case scenario,” Bren added. “At least we’re at the airport already, not at our hotel still.”

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Sunday’s traveler numbers are about three times that of 2020.

Airport officials suggest you arrive at least two hours ahead of your scheduled departure.

You can also check OIA’s Twitter for updated parking lot issues.

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