TAMPA, Fla. — A record number of travelers are expected at America’s airports on Sunday, as people return home after Thanksgiving. TSA estimates it will screen 2.9 million passengers, marking the busiest travel day of the holiday rush.
Staff at Tampa International Airport are preparing for Sunday to be the busiest of the past 11 Thanksgiving travel days, with about 85,000 travelers expected to pass through. For context, that’s about 20,000 more people than a typical day.
Airport officials said a lot of people are traveling this holiday for the first time in a few years and they’ve been noticing longer lines at security and concessions. If you’re headed to the airport on Sunday, the biggest tip is to plan ahead and allow plenty of extra time, especially if you’re picking someone up.
It may be difficult to find parking in the airport garages if you haven’t pre-booked online, so the cell phone lot could be your best bet.
“What we don’t want you to do is to make your own parking spot on the roadways,” said Emily Nipps, a TPA spokesperson. “We’re starting to see that this year. People are pulling off on the side of the road, waiting to hear from the person that’s showing up. We have our police out there trying to enforce the traffic rules, keep things safe. You will be ticketed if you park on the roadway.”
Nipps said there is an overflow plan if the cell phone lot fills up. For passengers using Uber of Lyft, the meetup point is at Blue Express Curbside to prevent crowding in baggage claim. Travelers in the Red terminal can either use the Red Arrivals drive or take the elevator up and over to the Blue Express Curbsides.