TAMPA, Fla. — Travelers are expected to turn out in large numbers again this year. Tampa International Airport expects to see around 70,000 passengers a day over the next 2 weeks, with the busiest days seeing up to 80,000 people.
“Christmas break is usually a very, very busy time for us,” said Tampa International Airport spokesperson Emily Nipps. “We might see some days that are past the peak that we saw in 2019, which was a record year for us."
TPA told ABC Action News they’re ready for those numbers. The airport is fully staffed and prepared for around 1 million passengers between now and January.
“We had a really successful thanksgiving period where we didn’t see a lot of delays, we didn’t see a lot of issues, and we’re hoping we have the same thing during Christmas,” said Nipps.
The higher volume of people, of course, means longer lines at TSA, more congestion, and fewer parking spaces.
“Our parking is going to be very tight. Just like Thanksgiving, we’re going to have some days where we’re very full in our parking garages; it’s going to be hard to find a space,” said Nipps.
TPA officials recommend arriving early, and getting dropped off at the Blue Express Curb if you don’t need to check any luggage, and book your parking onlineto save some money and guarantee a parking spot.
If you haven’t booked a flight yet or are looking for deals while traveling over the holidays, there are some last-minute ways you can still save money.
“Look out for all the different ways you can save that might be... nontraditional. You might be able to unlock travel benefits from your wireless carrier, through other deals, look through credit cards because of the travel perks that come through there as well,” said Steve Carlson, a spokesperson with T-Mobile.
Overall, travel experts believe that while things will be very busy in the coming weeks, the good news is there should be fewer flight delays and cancellations.
“The airlines have cut back their schedules, and that is to really avoid some of those issues we saw earlier this year in the spring and summer when there was a lot of delays and cancellations because of crew issues and other things,” said Nipps.
