TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Fifty-five million Americans are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, according to NBC News.
Tampa mom Janet Howard has no plans to leave the city, but won’t be able to avoid Tampa International Airport.
“My son is actually traveling. He’s going to Houston, so, I just dropped him off at the gate,” Howard said.
Howard is prepared for traffic and long lines around the airport over the holidays.
“We’re actually a little less congested than we were last year but it’s still going to be very busy,” airport spokeswoman Emily Nipps said.
Nipps said 800,000 passengers flew through TPA over the 12-day period in 2021. In 2022, they expect to see around 725,000 passengers.
Although its less congested, passengers should still plan ahead for parking, Nipps said.
“Book online, it’s always cheaper if you book online and that will help us manage our parking spaces better and it’ll help ensure you’re going to have a parking space when you come to the airport,” she added. “If you are traveling without check luggage and you just have carry-on, you already have your boarding pass use the Blue Express. You don’t have to mingle with the other levels of the airport you can just go straight to the transfer level.”
Airport leaders suggested arriving two hours ahead of domestic flights and three hours ahead of international flights.
“They do very good having everything done. I don’t have to worry about the wait, so, I think TPA is probably one of the best,” Howard said.
