TAMPA, Fla. — People are preparing for a busy week of Thanksgiving travel.
The Saturday before and the Saturday after Thanksgiving will be the busiest days at Tampa International Airport. But on the roadways, the day before Thanksgiving and the day after will be the busiest.
Mark Jenkins with AAA suggested leaving first thing in the morning to beat some of the traffic.
The airport's busiest hours will be 5 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m.
Tampa International Airport expects to see 725,000 people pass through the airport during the Thanksgiving travel period, which is slightly lower than last year due to flights being pulled back.
Emily Nipps with Tampa International Airport said to book airport parking ahead of time online.
"If you book online, it's always cheaper online, and it helps us manage our parking spaces and our garages. We will have some days where our garages are very full," Nipps said.
If you are picking someone up from the airport, she suggested using the cell phone waiting lot until they are outside and ready. That will relieve congestion.
If you are not checking a bag and do not need to check in, she said to use the blue express curbsides.
She also suggested using TPA To-Go if you are ordering food at the airport. Nipps said the lines will get very long, so you can skip the line and pick up at the counter if you order ahead.
While the airport is not expecting to see record-high numbers, the roadways are.
"We are expecting the second busiest Thanksgiving on record. About 2.7 million people will be driving to their destination here in Florida alone," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said the best time to leave is early in the morning to beat some traffic.
"You certainly want to allow yourself extra room between the vehicles in front of you and put down the cell phone," Jenkins said. "Distractions are such a big cause of crashes nationwide, and the last thing you want to do is spend the holiday on the roadside or dealing with a crash."
He suggested taking your vehicle into the shop before your road trip for a full inspection.
AAA is expecting to respond to over 411,000 calls during the Thanksgiving travel period.
